Shire to plug in more EV chargers

THE Surf Coast Shire council is staying plugged into its plan to support electric vehicles (EVs), with the existing charging station in Lorne to be joined by another five across the municipality.

The council has secured funding through the Victorian government’s Destination Charging Across Victoria (DCAV) Program to install four charging stations in Lorne (50kw), Anglesea (22kw), Airey Inlet (22kw) and Winchelsea (22kw).

There will also be a fifth charging station in Moriac (7kw), with its installation to be funded by the shire.

Locations for the DCAV charging stations are not yet known, but the shire says they will be highly visible, located on high traffic volume roads and tourist routes and in proximity to important community and commercial infrastructure, planned around existing access to electricity infrastructure, and use the council’s 100 per cent renewable electricity supply.

Cr Gary Allen said the new charging stations were a key part of the council’s Climate Emergency Response Plan.

“There has been a lot of community interest in this project, which is a positive sign that local people are keen to transition to electric vehicles.

“We have seen a surge in the demand for electric vehicle charging stations recently, including the Lorne Visitor Information Centre reporting the existing slower charger has cars queuing to use it at times mid-week.

“The new charger stations will play an important part in helping our community reduce transport related greenhouse gas emissions and support the transition to electric vehicles, powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity.”

The original 7kW charging station in Lorne was installed by the RACV in 2015 and was replaced last year through a partnership between the shire and RACV Club Assist.

The shire is paying for the electricity used at the Lorne charging station, and some residents are unhappy that part of their rates are being used so EV drivers can recharge for free.

Surf Coast acting general manager of environment and place making Brendan Walsh said the slow charger at Lorne was free for EVs to use, while faster chargers typically incurred a fee.

“Depending on the car and the time of day, typically electricity costs associated with charging a vehicle here vary between 50c and $1.80 per hour, however this is offset by onsite solar generation during daylight hours.

“Electricity costs associated with powering the Lorne Visitor Information Centre have reduced in recent years as the council has installed a 10kW rooftop solar system that offsets usage at the site.

“We’ve also switched to renewable electricity contracts as part of the Victorian Energy Collaboration project, substantially reducing the council’s electricity costs across all facilities.”

Mr Walsh said a fee would be charged at Lorne’s new 50kW charging station to recover costs.

“Transport emissions are the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the Surf Coast region, making up 28 per cent of community greenhouse gas emissions pre-COVID. Infrastructure like the EV charging station in Lorne enables more environmentally sustainable forms of transport to be considered.”