A new advanced electric vehicle (EV) rapid charger has been installed at Maryborough in Central Victoria as part of 17 EV chargers under construction throughout the region, which will help boost tourism, reduce emissions, and support the uptake of EVs.
The 17 charging stations will better link towns across Victoria, encourage more visitors to regional Victoria and ensure regional Victorians are not left behind in the transition to EVs.
The new charging stations are in rural centres including Ouyen, Swan Hill, Kerang, Maryborough and Echuca, and smaller rural towns and key tourist sites including Robinvale, Wedderburn, Newbridge and Inglewood.
The new sites were identified as priority locations in the Charging the Regions report, undertaken by the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance (CVGA) and local governments. CVGA is delivering the EV charging stations program in the Loddon Mallee in partnership with Evie Network and local councils.
Maryborough’s Tritium RT-M is one of the first of its kind to be installed anywhere in the world. It is Australian technology and was developed and manufactured by Tritium in Queensland.
The Victorian Government has invested $664,000 for these chargers – part of the State Government’s $2.7 billion Building Works package that creates jobs, supports thousands more across the state’s supply chains and pumps dollars back into the economy.
More recently, the Victorian Government announced a $25 million package to speed up the roll-out of fast chargers and advance electric vehicle innovation.
Constructing charging stations and increasing the number of EVs are key steps in realising Loddon Mallee’s Renewable Energy Roadmap, which outlines the community’s ambition to embrace new energy technologies across the region.
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio, said she was excited to see the cutting-edge technology be installed in the region and to see tourism and EV uptake benefit from the initiative.
“The electric vehicle charging stations we’re installing throughout the Loddon Mallee will put the region on the map for EV tourists, connecting Melbourne to Mallee unlocking the Goldfields and creating an EV tourist trail from Mildura to Echuca,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.
“The chargers will encourage more visitors to our thriving regional cities and laid-back rural towns, which will boost local economies.”
Central Goldfields Shire Mayor, Chris Meddows-Taylor, said he was thrilled to see Central Goldfields Shire as the first location to be up and running.
“There’s no doubt the infrastructure will increase regional connectivity and ensure our region is an attractive place to visit as more and more EVs hit the road.
“We were keen to maximise the flow-on benefits to the local tourism industry and so the site at the Community Hub was chosen because of its proximity to the iconic Maryborough Railway Station.
“The location’s proximity to our Council administration building will also facilitate an uptake of electric vehicles within Council’s fleet and will be highly visible to members of the community visiting the Hub, playground and Station Domain area.
“The charging station puts our Shire on the Loddon Mallee’s Renewable Energy Roadmap and demonstrates Council’s commitment to reducing our carbon footprint.”
Use of the EV Charging Station will be free for the first two months – until Monday 12 April 2021 – which includes the Labour Day and Easter long weekends. This means EV users can charge up for a 90-minute period at no cost (enough to get to at least an 80 per cent charge for most EVs with this fast 50kW charge station).
