Running on empty at Inverloch re-charge station

INVERLOCH is still waiting for an electric recharging station to be connected in Ramsey Boulevard behind the Bunurong Environment Centre despite work starting in March.

“It’s been dormant for so long, why is it taking so long to get built," local traders have asked.

This project was one of four fast-charging electric vehicle (EV) public charging stations to be built across Bass Coast Shire. The Bunurong Environment Centre was selected because it was considered to be a high-use tourist destination that would help to address barriers to EV uptake including range anxiety and town connectivity.

The project was to have the additional benefits of encouraging EV tourism, supporting uptake of EVs, and reducing transport-sector emissions. Each site was anticipated to take 2 to 3 weeks to complete but that was 9 months ago.

Once completed the new 60kW 3-phase chargers would allow EV drivers to add 100km of range in just 15 minutes, using 100% renewable energy. New underground electrical cabling, switchboards, pillars, and metering to service the new electric charging stations are being installed in accordance with AusNet requirements.

Bass Coast Council said all three of the public EV chargers in Bass Coast Shire other than Inverloch had been connected to electricity during November. RACV Solar advised Bass Coast Council late last week that the ChargeFox connection will be installed at Inverloch on December15.

Bass Coast Shire said it understood the frustration of seeing the chargers waiting to be connected, but it was unfortunately quite a lengthy process in which council had no control. The $642,000 project across four sites has been jointly funded by Bass Coast Shire Council and Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action (DECCA).