Commuters in New South Wales (NSW) can now charge their electric vehicles (EV) with more convenience. This is part of the government’s rollout of 50 EV chargers at transport hubs in Sydney.
Transport for NSW Acting Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Kurt Brissett says this initiative is a partnership with JOLT. The company offers drivers a free 7kWh top-up for electric vehicles. When a user has reached 7kWh, a cost of $0.46 will apply for each subsequent kilowatt hour.
The NSW Government has invested $250,000 into the JOLT charger partnership, in addition to $209 million worth of EV infrastructure funding delivered as part of the NSW Government EV strategy.
“It is important that we do what we can to support the transition to electric vehicles and encourage public transport use where possible. In the last year, EV registrations have risen more than 150 per cent on average across NSW and more than tripled in Penrith. We hope making it easier for drivers to top up charge as part of their commute will encourage this transition,” says Brissett.
Fast charging
There are already over 820 public charging stations in NSW. But stations are often far apart and can take some time before charging is complete.
The JOLT electric vehicle charger at these locations will take about 17 minutes to charge a vehicle. “Rolling out the JOLT charging network will give motorists confidence knowing that they can quickly top their charge up when and where they need to,” says Brissett.
First fully electric removal truck
The country has seen some good developments recently when it comes to electric vehicles. Earlier this month one of Australia’s largest furniture removal companies launched the country’s first fully electric removal truck. The vehicle has long-range capabilities to assist the company with its busy schedule across the Sydney metropolitan area.
In September, Volvo Trucks introduced its latest FL Electric model to the Australian market. Volvo has been steadily enhancing the energy capacity of its battery packs for the FL and FE Electric medium-duty trucks.
In December 2022, Volvo Trucks announced that Australian express freight company Team Global Express placed an order for 36 Volvo electric trucks. These trucks are designed for urban distribution and have a load capacity of 5.5 tons in this application. Mordor Intelligence reports the Australian electric vehicle market is set to achieve significant growth in the next five years. “There has been tremendous growth in hybrid vehicles all over the country as these vehicles appeal to a much larger audience when compared to full-electric vehicles. They combine the reliability, long-range drivability, and instant refueling benefits of petrol and diesel vehicles with better fuel economy and a smaller carbon footprint of electric vehicles.”
About the author
Sharl is a qualified journalist. He has over 10 years’ experience in the media industry, including positions as an editor of a magazine and Business Editor of a daily newspaper. Sharl also has experience in logistics specifically operations, where he worked with global food aid organisations distributing food into Africa. Sharl enjoys writing business stories and human interest pieces.
