With electric vehicles (EVs) accounting for almost 10% of new car sales in Australia across 2024, we're supporting our community by expanding our public charging network.
Increasing how often we use sustainable and active transport is vital as we work towards net zero emissions by 2035.
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Our first JOLT charger is here
In partnership with JOLT Australia, we're installing 9 public EV charging stations across Bayside's shopping precincts.
The first charger was installed at 588 Balcombe Road in mid-December 2024. In the 2 months of operation, the charger has been used more than 450 times by over 160 EV drivers. And with more than 50,000km worth of range delivered, that's the equivalent of 30 road trips from Melbourne to Sydney and back.
As an added benefit, JOLT provides 7kWh of free charging to each customer every 24 hours, equivalent to around 45km of driving range. Because of this, 40% of charging from the Black Rock charger has been free to the community. The installation, operation, maintenance and free charging allowance for all 9 chargers is funded by JOLT, at no cost to Council.
JOLT Australia is currently installing a second charger in Highett, estimated to be available for use from March 2025.
With 7 more chargers to come, stay updated through the EV charging station project page.
Learn more about electric vehicles in Bayside
State of Electric Vehicles 2024 report
The Electric Vehicle Council is the peak national body representing the electric vehicle industry in Australia, and aims to increase knowledge sharing and education. This is partly achieved through their annual State of Electric Vehicles report.
The State of Electric Vehicles 2024 report was released in mid-December, and includes key findings such as:
- EVs now account for 9.5% of all new car sales in Australia, which is a 150% increase compared to 2022
- EV sales are expected to double within 2 years
- Consumers have up to 122 electric vehicle models to choose from
- There has been a 90% increase in high power charging locations compared to 2023
- Expansion of charging sites across Australia continues, supporting new and current EV owners.
- To meet climate targets, the Electric Vehicle Council expects that Australia will need over 50% of all new car sales to be EVs by 2030.
If you're interested in purchasing an EV or just want to learn more, visit the Electric Vehicle Council's Consumer Hub
