CARPARK works are in progress at the Visitor Information Centre in Newhaven, as the local shire rolls out four new faster charging stations at four locations around the district.
But it doesn’t come cheap, as revealed in a question by Kerry Lightfoot to the Bass Coast Shire Council meeting on Wednesday, June 21. The cost of providing four 60kW 3-phase charging stations at four locations across the shire is $430,000.
“Council is delivering for high-speed electric vehicle charging stations at Newhaven, Inverloch, Wonthaggi and Granville at a total estimated cost of $430,000,” said the shire CEO Ali Wastie in answer to the question.
“Council has allocated $140,000 and secured grant funding of $290,000 from the Victorian Government under its Destination Charging Across Victoria program.”
Although they have been described as “high-speed”, the 60kW chargers being installed by Bass Coast are at the lower end of the commercial charger range where charging stations of between 25kW to 350kW are now available.
But they will enable visitors to top up their Electric Vehicles (EVs) with enough power, to get them back to Melbourne, or further along on their journey, in around half an hour.
South Gippsland also secured a grant of $120,000 under the government program and together with their own money, will be able to add three high-speed charging station, each with three chargers, at Leongatha, Korumburra and Foster.
At its council meeting in April, South Gippsland Council revealed signing a contract on March 29, 2023 for $532,359.03, with RACV Solar, to design, supply and install of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Across South Gippsland over a 20-week period.
Few details were provided at the time, but it’s likely the council will seek to extend those EV charging facilities to Mirboo North, Meeniyan and Yanakie.
But, in Bass Coast’s case at least, while they are aiming to deliver a network of fast-charging facilities, they won’t be ‘fast’ in arriving.
When the State Government announced the funding, the Bass Coast project was to have been delivered by June 2023, however, on the Engage Bass Coast website it notes “the estimated completion date for this project is March 2024, subject to factors including availability of materials and contractors”.
Under the State Government’s latest EV charging program, 141 EV fast-charging stations are to be delivered at 116 high-use areas and tourist spots across regional and metropolitan Victoria with $4.3 million in grant funding allocated across regional Victoria and $650,000 across metropolitan Melbourne.
