r-EV-olutionary charging network

Published on 07 November 2023

Today marks a powerful acceleration in Lane Cove’s electric vehicle (EV) charging journey. In an Australian first, street side power poles have been turned into charging stations for electric vehicles and the first seven chargers are now up and running on local streets in Lane Cove.

Earlier today, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen officially powered up the first of Intellihub’s EV Streetside Charging project in Wolli Creek. Five of the Intellihub chargers also went live on power poles here in Lane Cove and St Leonards with two more being installed soon. The 22 kilowatt chargers connect directly to the overhead electricity network, with energy use being matched with 100 percent accredited GreenPower. The project is being supported by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency through its Advancing Renewables Program with Lane Cove technically being the first to have the infrastructure installed under the initiative.

In addition, Council has been working with other infrastructure providers to roll out revolutionary access to EV charging on existing power poles across the local government area. This includes  two Ausgrid user-pays kerbside chargers, bringing our total of on-street chargers in the area to nine. When adding this to the chargers contained within Council’s existing off-street car parks, by the end of the month there will be 30 chargers installed for local residents within the 10.5 square kilometres of the Lane Cove local government area.

The new on-street chargers are available at parking spots close to and/or at the following addresses:

• 20 Phoenix Street, Lane Cove
• 11 Little Street, Lane Cove
• Cnr Oxley and Nicholson Streets, St Leonards
• 15-21 Mindarie Street, Lane Cove North
• 2-4 Pinaroo Place, Lane Cove North
• 72 Christie Street, St Leonards (available soon)
• 21 Sirius Road, Lane Cove West (available soon)
• 54 Gordon Crescent, Lane Cove North (Ausgrid)
• 13-15 Greenwich Road, Greenwich (Ausgrid)

Upon parking in one of the designated spaces, motorists use the relevant App associated with the charging device. EV owners can then plug in their own charging cables to their car and the unit affixed to the street pole before following the steps on their App to start charging. The user then pays for the amount of electricity they use.

Having on-street charging available in areas of where there is medium and high-density housing, or close to shopping and recreational facilities, means that charging facilities are available where they are most needed by our residents.

Council will continue to work alongside infrastructure providers to identify opportunities to expand the EV network in Lane Cove. To view the closest EV charging option to you, visit our What's Around Me? Online Map or for a full list of Lane Cove’s EV charging locations, visit our Parking Page on Council’s website. You can also send Council an email to suggest a future location for an on-street EV charger.

More about the Intellihub Project

• The seven on-street chargers in Lane Cove and St Leonards connect to the Ausgrid electricity network and run on 100% accredited GreenPower.
• Intellihub CEO Wes Ballantine said new public charging solutions were required to support the rapid uptake of electric vehicles across the country. “Around nine percent of all new car sales in Australia are now electric vehicles, and in some areas of Sydney the rates of EV adoption are double the national average,” Mr Ballantine said.
• “By 2030, most experts expect that there will be more than one million electric vehicles on Australian roads. “Power poles line most streets and that presents an enormous opportunity for local communities that will need a range of public charging solutions. They’re an accessible, safe, and practical option for EV charging.” Areas with high density housing, sports and recreational facilities, local shopping centres or transport precincts have been prioritised for the roll out.
• Local councils have also conducted extensive community engagement to help guide the best locations from a community perspective. “About one in four Australian households don’t have access to off street parking, so these sorts of public charging solutions are a real necessity. “EV drivers will be able to book a charging session, and then simply drive up, park and charge. “A two hour charging session will typically provide enough charge for around 200 kilometres of driving.”
• The EV chargers will be managed via the popular Exploren platform, which was developed by Australian EV software and hardware providers EVSE. The Exploren platform supports about 500 public chargers across Sydney. It allows motorists to book and manage their charging sessions via a smartphone App. The 22 kilowatt chargers have been supplied by Schneider Electric and have been enclosed in a durable and vandal resistant metal case. The ARENA backed trial will help build a base of knowledge around regulatory and commercial barriers for public EV charging, as well as uptake by EV owners across different locations and incentives.