The Northern Beaches Council has announced that it has installed seven new charging stations on power poles to make it easier to charge electric vehicles (EV) on the Northern Beaches.
Council said that as part of an Australian-first trial, local street side power poles have been turned into charging stations for electric vehicles. The project is being led by energy technology business Intellihub, supported by Northern Beaches Council and with funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
Northern Beaches Mayor, Sue Heins, welcomed the new chargers as an addition to the list of EV charging locations on the Beaches.
“The Northern Beaches is one of the fastest growing areas for EV ownership and we are working with industry partners to make sure there are enough local charging stations to keep pace with demand.
“This wonderful initiative is making EV charging more accessible for people living in apartments, townhouses or units with no onsite EV charging options. We expect it will encourage more people to make the switch from petrol and diesel powered vehicles to electric.
“We continue to encourage all our residents to consider making the switch. Together, we can reach our target of a 30 per cent reduction in vehicle emissions by 2038.”
The Northern Beaches is one of eight local councils taking part in the Intellihub EV Streetside Charging Project.
The 22kw chargers have been installed at:
- Ashburner Street, Manly
- West Promenade, Manly
- Anzac Avenue, Collaroy
- Blackbutts Road (opposite Malbara Crescent), Frenchs Forest
- Yulong Avenue, Terrey Hills
- Allambie Road, Allambie Heights
- Dearin Reserve (opposite 13 Kalinya Street), Newport
The Northern Beaches Council said that the community was involved in deciding the best locations for the trial, receiving 429 responses from locals, with overall support for the project.
The EV chargers are connected to the overhead electricity supply and the energy use is matched with 100 per cent accredited GreenPower. For all the energy required to charge electric vehicles, the equivalent amount of certified renewable energy is put back into the grid.
More than 1,300 EVs have been registered across the Northern Beaches over the past 12 months. There are now more than 3,100 EVs registered across the local government area.
Council said that hundreds of charging sessions have already taken place at these charging stations in 2024.
Intellihub CEO, Wes Ballantine, said EV drivers will be able to drive up, park and charge at any of the charging sites via the Exploren App.
“A typical EV can get more than 200km of driving from a two-hour charge at any of these sites.
“The new chargers are displayed on all public EV charging maps so every EV driver, whether they live here or are just visiting, will know they can more easily charge their EV on the Northern Beaches.
“We’re very pleased to be working with the Northern Beaches Council on such an important project.”
Results of the 12-month trial will be reported to the Local Traffic Committee in early 2025 and placed on public exhibition.
Image credit: rodrigomarcio/Shutterstock.com.
