Ausgrid has unveiled the first power pole mounted electric vehicle charger in Glebe, as a part of a broader program that aims to roll out more of these chargers across the City of Sydney, and the Ausgrid network.
Marc England, Ausgrid’s CEO was in Sydney today to officially open the charger and reconfirm Ausgrid’s commitment to utilising its existing infrastructure to better support the energy transition.
“We are incredibly excited to be launching the first power pole-mounted EV charger in Sydney with the City of Sydney and EVX,” he said.
“Glebe is exactly the kind of suburb where demand for this solution will grow in the coming years. It is densely populated, and many people don’t have access to off-street parking.”
“We believe that once the community see more charging infrastructure like this close to their homes, they will feel confident they can make their next vehicle purchase an EV.”
“We know that EV uptake will continue to grow, and it is our role as the electricity distributor to make this transition as easy and low cost as it can be,” Mr England said.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said lowering transport emissions, which currently make up around 20 per cent of the City of Sydney’s emissions, would be crucial to reaching net-zero.
“The City is committed to lowering the barriers to electric vehicle uptake and use, particularly through increasing access to charging facilities,” the Lord Mayor said. “Not everyone in our community has access to private parking, so we’re excited to help meet the challenge of providing on-street charging capacity without obtrusive infrastructure taking up precious road and footpath space.”
EVX CEO, Andrew Forster, said, “This is essential community infrastructure for the future, and we are so excited this partnership is expanding to Sydney. The project will make EV charging more accessible and affordable for both residents and visitors to Glebe while contributing to the battle against climate change.”
Pole mounted chargers are faster and cheaper to deploy than other kerbside charging units, while reducing urban clutter and causing less disruption to the surrounding communities. The program’s learnings will help inform the broader trial, with the aim of deploying more units across the network in the coming months.
Customers in Glebe should download EVX app to activate the charger. Charging costs $0.50 per KW/h flat rate.
