A Melbourne council’s new public electric vehicle (EV) charging station is officially the busiest charging hub in all of Australia by number of sessions per month.
Moreland Council’s electric vehicle charging hub at 13-15 Edward Street, Brunswick, which opened in May 2020, brings Moreland’s total tally of public electric vehicle chargers to 16.
Moreland has the highest number of free-to-use public EV chargers owned and operated by Council of any municipality in Victoria. All electricity used to charge vehicles is renewable, sourced from the Crowlands Wind Farm.
The popularity of electric vehicles in Moreland is rapidly growing. In 2018, Council’s network of public chargers saw less than 10 charging sessions per month. March 2021 saw 725 charging sessions across the network.
Usage data since May 2020 shows a drastic increase in charging sessions across Moreland’s EV charging network.
ChargeFox, who partner with Council to manage the EV stations, have confirmed that the Brunswick EV hub is the busiest hub in Australia by number of sessions per month.
Moreland Mayor, Annalivia Carli Hannan, said the data showed a promising trend towards favouring eco-friendly vehicles.
“The hub’s usage data shows there’s local uptake and appetite for electric vehicles and EV infrastructure. It also shows that having this infrastructure in place can attract people to the area which will help boost our local economy,” Ms Hannan said.
“I myself drive an electric vehicle. I love knowing that when I need to charge, there are free, easily accessible places for me to charge up quickly and conveniently across Moreland. It’s also a great feeling knowing I’m reducing my carbon emissions and helping the environment.”
Moreland Council’s Vehicle Policy sets out a zero-emissions procurement priority. Council added its first electric vehicle to its fleet in 2013. There are now 25 electric vehicles in the fleet, each saving approximately 2.5 tonnes of greenhouse emissions each year and improving air quality where the cars are being used.
According to the Electric Vehicle Council, Australia could eliminate 6 per cent of our total greenhouse gas emissions if everyone drove an EV operating on renewable energy.
