Winchelsea’s public EV charger powers up

SURF Coast locals and visitors will now be able to charge their electric vehicles in Winchelsea, with the town’s public charger now operational.

Located near the old library building on Willis Street, the new charger adds to the EV resources available within the municipality.

Using the 40kW charger, motorists will be able to charge their vehicle for $0.45 per kilowatt hour and an idle fee of $1 per minute.

Cr Tony Phelps said the Surf Coast Shire-managed charger would support the community’s transition to cleaner transport.

“Our council plan makes it clear that we are committed to supporting the community to reduce emissions as part of our Climate and Environmental leadership objective.

“As more people choose electric vehicles, providing reliable charging infrastructure is a practical way we can help reduce emissions and support sustainable travel.”

The new charger joins those in Anglesea and Lorne, while Aireys Inlet’s will become operational in early 2026.

To suit the shire’s criteria for a public charging station, locations must be shire-owned and operated, have a power supply available to be upgraded, provide convenient access to travellers and disability access, and have minimal impacts to heritage buildings and current parking.

Works to introduce the new chargers are supported with funding from the Victorian government via the Destination Charging Across Victoria Program.

As part of the program, $5 million in grants was distributed to establish a public EV network across Victoria.

For more information, head to surfcoast.vic.gov.au