Following a 40c to 60c rise on the 350kw chargers, Chargefox has raised the rate on 20 of its 50kw units from 40c to 45c.

Chargefox is Australia’s largest electric vehicle charging network, and either owns or manages units ranging from the glacial 7/11/22kw destination chargers, to the slightly less painful 50kw units, through 165kw outlets, to the Rolls- Royce of chargers, the Ultra-Rapid 350kw. Sadly, most EVs cannot take advantage of the latter.

Pricing varies hugely between sites, and many of the charge points are frequently out of action with a very long wait for repairs to transpire. Even for chargers that are online, some sites have queues which do not show up on the app, period. The problem is finding a charger that works, and is free.

To take one example:

The 350kw Zetland Chargefox/NRMA ultra-rapids have existed for around 3 years, with prices rising from 40c to 60c during that period. A co-located 50kw unit is was 40c until a few days ago when the price rose to 45c. The 350kw units have been out of action for much of the last 3 years, and on my last visit, the 50kw had a queue of 3. It too, has had a chequered history.

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Looking further afield

We find a no-cost 50kw outlet at Dan Murphy’s in Bateman’s Bay, that is actually working. Down the road there is a 7kw outlet for house guests at The Isla in Batehaven. This “resort” looks like a 60’s motel throwback with new railings and a paint job, and charges 60c p/kwh for their 7kw trickle charging.

Then, there are 2 x 350kw and a 50kw at Cooma, all working and are the same price as the Zetland site. Tassie has a single 2 x 350kw site, with Victoria having 4 x 350kw and a 50kw outlet at Airport West. The 50kw is faulty, as is one of the 350kw units.

The Chargefox app also lists hundreds of other sites between 7kw and 350kw, with prices varying from free, to 70c.

Australian Charging is a shambolic clusterphuck so here are some pointers.

  • The Most important thing to do when planning the trip is to check the price and availability of the nearby units.
  • Join your motoring club. NRMA members get 20% off on branded charging outlets.
  • If the unit is faulty, don’t assume a quick fix.
  • If it is showing as free, don’t believe it, especially at the destination sites.
  • By an EV with free charging included if you live close to fast outlets.

Where to from here?

At best, the system is a mash-up of owned and managed sites. Making matters worse, there are several charging “networks” with different sites listed only on other apps. The rapid spread of chargers has made apps even less accurate.

The Australian electric vehicle industry was held back a decade by conservative  government hell-bent on ensuring the viability of its fossil fueled donors. Their incompetence and possible corruption aside, they were kicked out, replaced by a slightly more progressive list of elected flunkies. They are trying to straddle and even more precipitous line; the one between keeping dinosaur-burning industries alive, and forging a future where the young don’t rise up to arm themselves with torches and pitchforks.

The Labor government has set aside funds to assist in rolling out a more ubiquitous infrastructure. Whether it will be more reliable is an issue for another day.

For now, the mainly coal/gas fired generation of Australian power has left us weak and vulnerable. A previous conservative government privatized energy, and permitted vast amounts of LNG to be exported without ensuring sufficient supply at home.

Their demented policy stymied the creation of a renewable energy sector. Had they not, Australia would have been a country self-sufficient in renewable glory. As it is, the population is tied to ideology of another era. As gas and coal prices go up, so will our electricity costs.

The Conservative line has not changed. Perhaps a generational shift will see real progress, but until then, improvement is likely to be snail’s pace.