City of Launceston is undertaking a $26,000 project to install four new electric vehicle charging stations across the municipality.
The project has been part-funded with a $10,000 grant from the State Government’s ChargeSmart Grants Program.
A 7kw charger will be installed at the Cataract Gorge, while three 22kw chargers will be installed at Riverbend Park, the Inveresk half-circle car park and at the Lilydale Memorial Hall.
The new chargers add to the City of Launceston’s existing electric vehicle charging stations at the Paterson St West and York Street car parks, and the 50kw fast-charger which was installed in the Paterson St East Car Park in 2018.
According to statistics from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, electric vehicle sales in Australia in 2021 increased 191 per cent over 2020 figures, while plug-in hybrid (PHEV) sales jumped 99 per cent.
The FCAI’s end-of-year sales figures showed Australians bought 5149 electric cars in 2021 – up from 1769 in 2020–and 3372 PHEVS– up from 1691.
City of Launceston Mayor, Albert van Zetten, said while overall electric vehicle sales accounted for a small percentage of vehicle sales in Australia, it was a growing segment of the market.
“Electric vehicles have many benefits, including helping to lower CO² emissions,” Mayor van Zetten said.
“Most industry experts expect this segment of the vehicle market to continue to grow in the future and see prices for new EVs dropping, as technology and manufacturing processes improve.
“We’re pleased to have received a ChargeSmart Grant to enable us to install more EV chargers around Launceston, particularly at those visitor destinations like Riverbend Park and the Cataract Gorge, which draw high visitor numbers on a daily basis.
“We hope the growing number of EV charges across the city will make EVs a more attractive option for those in the market for a new vehicle.”
Tasmanian Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Roger Jaensch, said the Tasmanian Government was supporting electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the state, as part of its commitment to transition towards a low-emissions economy.
“Tasmania is ideally suited to benefit from the growing electric vehicle market, powered by our renewable energy, and the Tasmanian Government’s second ChargeSmart grants program is providing $773,000 for fast and destination charging throughout our regions,” Mr Jaensch said.
“I am pleased that funding has been provided to the City of Launceston for four electric vehicle chargers that will support Tasmanians and visitors alike to explore our beautiful city and surrounds.”
Weather depending, the new chargers will be installed at Riverbend Park, Inveresk and the Cataract Gorge in May 2022 with the Lilydale charger to be installed in late 2022.
