The Smart Energy Expo is underway this week at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Sydney, drawing a wide array of energy leaders, policymakers, and technology providers. Among the exhibitors is EVX Australia, a growing name in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, with CEO Andrew Forster attending the event for the first time.
Forster sees the Expo as a key moment for EVX to deepen its involvement in the broader energy conversation, as the company shifts from purely transport-focused solutions to playing a more integrated role in the future of energy.
“We’re excited and we’re becoming, I suppose, increasingly more involved in the energy side of what we do,” Forster said ahead of the event. “It’s not something that we’ve had a huge amount of exposure to, although we work with the DNSPs quite a bit. But there’s this fundamental shift going on at the moment in terms of consumer energy resources and where we fit. So I think it’s a really important time for us to be involved in that conversation.”
Forster believes the timing of the Expo couldn’t be better, with decision-makers and industry leaders coming together to explore the future roles and responsibilities of various market participants.
“There’s a lot of pretty well-renowned people who work in the energy space, both on the industry and the consumer side,” he said. “I’m hoping there’s going to be some pretty robust conversation around how it all works moving forward.”
While the program and speaker lineup were strong drawcards, it’s the chance to connect in person with other energy stakeholders that holds the greatest appeal for Forster.
“Of course [networking is important],” he said. “We’ve got a view of the world, as does a lot of other market participants. Having the platform to get together and discuss those different ideas—and a platform to talk to the various decision makers and policymakers around what that looks like—is going to be really important for everyone.”
EVX Australia, founded in 2021, began installing its first curbside chargers in late 2022. Since then, the company has steadily built a name as a specialist in public AC charging infrastructure—especially in metropolitan and regional areas where kerbside access is limited.
“In recent months, [demand] has just exploded,” Forster said. “We’ve picked up some really good activity around the state government’s curbside grant programs, and we’ve also landed an ARENA project, which has been really helpful.”
The business is rapidly expanding from New South Wales into Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia, with councils and communities now approaching EVX for advice on deploying public charging infrastructure.
“There was a massive focus on big DC fast-charging stations along highways for a long time—and that was warranted—but what we’re looking at now is expanding the area of focus to kerbside AC charging,” Forster explained.
The utilisation of EVX chargers has already surpassed early expectations. “We thought a good result might be around 5%, but what we’re seeing is an average of 10% across the board—and that’s across metro and regional areas,” he said. “In some pockets of Sydney, particularly the Inner West and Eastern Suburbs, it’s double that again.”
Forster said the key is ensuring accessibility, which means working closely with councils to manage parking demarcation, signage and community consultation.
“If you do it in a considered way and put chargers where they’ll actually be useful, it’s an extremely robust business model for us,” he said. “But more importantly, it fills a gap for EV drivers.”
EVX’s presence at Smart Energy 2025 is a sign of the growing intersection between transport electrification and the broader clean energy transition. And for Andrew Forster, it’s a timely opportunity to be part of the conversation—and the solution.
