Consumer behaviour studies and analysis of energy usage data highlight that most EV owners in Australia today charge at home with solar or during off-peak times, leading to minimal impact on the grid, and in many cases supporting the grid to use excess solar during the day, and spare network capacity at night.   Read more about charging behaviours here.

Energy retailers are increasingly offering retail time-of-use products specifically aimed at rewarding EV drivers with very low prices for choosing to charge in the middle of the day or the middle of the night – at time of writing, AGL, Origin, and Simply Energy have some excellent offers of this type, available in most of the country.

To learn more on energy policy as it relates to EVs, and the state of public charging infrastructure, see our latest ‘State of EVs’ report.

The post How are governments and energy providers preparing to support the energy demand from electric vehicles? first appeared on Electric Vehicle Council.

A typical passenger EV, driven 12,000km per year, will consume about 2,000kWh of electricity per year.  By comparison, a typical mainland Australian home consumes about 4,000-8,000kWh of electricity per year (depending on whether they use gas for cooking/heating or not).

Timing of *when* the electricity is consumed to charge the EV has environmental, grid security, and cost implications for the energy system and the consumer – read more about this in our guide to home EV charging.

The post How much electricity does charging an electric vehicle consume compared to typical household usage? first appeared on Electric Vehicle Council.

For road safety reasons, it’s important to take a break every 2 to 2.5 hours, given it is shown that driving for periods longer than this greatly increases the chances of being involved in a road accident due to fatigue. It is important there is fast charging infrastructure available to help facilitate these stops every 2 to 2.5 hours so commuters can charge while having a short rest.

EV owners should refer to the PlugShare application for the location and details of current EV charging stations across the country. There are ongoing plans in place to extend the national charging network so that all Australians will have access to public charging infrastructure along the major road network.

Importantly, EVs allow regional Australias to kick the dependency on expensive, foreign fuel, and instead save money by using cheap, 100% Australian-made energy to charge their vehicles.

The post Are EVs suited to regional areas? first appeared on Electric Vehicle Council.

Federal, state and local governments are all playing a role in the rollout of fast charging stations investing in the deployment of fast chargers in regional areas. Please refer to the PlugShare app for the latest information on charger type and location.

The NRMA has received government funding to create 130 fast charging sites across the national highway network with a focus on connecting regional communities to fast, accessible EV chargers.

As EV uptake increases, the rollout of charging infrastructure will also continue to increase. Local governments and businesses can work with charge point operators to install charging infrastructure. A list of members who can assist with the rollout of charging infrastructure can be found under our ‘Member Directory‘.

The post Are fast charging stations available in regional parts of Australia? first appeared on Electric Vehicle Council.

In other instances, renters may need to discuss EV charging installation with property management or landlords to get approval for installation. Owners corporations and strata managers are responsible for making decisions about common property, such as parking areas. The owner’s corporation or strata manager may also need to get approval from the local council. There is a lot of work being done in this area to ensure all new apartment buildings cater for electric vehicles.

Different state and territory governments are also developing programs to address retrofitting multi-unit dwellings e.g. NSW/ACT. Victoria has also recently released a poster on EV-ready buildings for owners corporations.

Additionally, for those EV owners who cannot charge their vehicle where they live (including receiving approval to do so), public charging is essential. For most Australians, a fast charge once per week would be enough to fulfil the average distance travelled.

The post Are there options for charging an electric vehicle in apartments or homes without a garage? first appeared on Electric Vehicle Council.

We recommend using your EV’s infotainment system to find charging stations along your journey (in models where this feature is available). Many EVs will track your energy consumption in real-time, and advise you on the best charging station to go to in order to complete your journey in the fastest time and/or by following your desired route.

Plugshare is also one example of an independent app that allows EV users to search for charging stations by type and availability.

It’s worth also having a backup plan in case a charging station is unavailable, under maintenance or for any other reason. By planning ahead and topping up when convenient, EV drivers can reduce anxieties related to distance and have an enjoyable, stress-free road trip. This includes top-up charging your vehicle using a power point charge at your stop each night (where your accommodation provider provides permission to do so).

The post How do I find charging stations on a road trip? first appeared on Electric Vehicle Council.

However, all new chargers are obligated to offer pay-as-you-go access. This means that eventually, you will be able to pay directly by tapping your bank card, mobile, watch or whatever your payment is connected to in order to pay for charging. The physical charging process is the same as with a home charger.

The Plugshare website has all the available chargers in Australia and their type so you can see which charging stations are owned by different companies.

The post Can I use public charging stations from different providers with one account? first appeared on Electric Vehicle Council.

Our annual State of EVs report provides the latest statistics on how many chargers are available in Australia. While the situation continues to improve, there is still more work to be done, particularly inland of our coastal regions. The EVC is confident the vast majority of Australia will have access to public EV charging infrastructure before 2030, based on the continuing increases in investment and co-funding into this infrastructure.

To get further insight into where public chargers have already been installed around Australia, take a look at PlugShare.

The post Is there enough charging infrastructure to support electric vehicles in Australia? first appeared on Electric Vehicle Council.

EV drivers are also experiencing a change in attitude towards “filling up”. Whilst petrol and diesel cars typically look for a petrol station when running low, EV drivers often charge based on where their vehicle is parked- such as at home or at work, as opposed to waiting for the battery to be empty. This can ensure regular, convenient and reliable battery recharging.

Public fast chargers are typically used on longer trips where rapid charging is needed to allow for further travel. Whereas chargers installed at home, caravan parks, shopping centres or tourist destinations usually have a slower charge time, and are ideal for charging for longer periods during the day or overnight.

The average Australian drives 38km per day so some EV owners can go for up to 10 days without charging. Unlike petrol cars, you can recharge an EV at home or anywhere with access to electricity.

Read our guide to charging your EV at home.

The post How long does it take to fully charge an electric vehicle? first appeared on Electric Vehicle Council.

The EVC also regularly reports charging infrastructure statistics every 6 months as part of our annual EV industry recap and State of EVs reports, available here.

The post Where can I find more information on where charging stations are located? first appeared on Electric Vehicle Council.