Electric vehicle charging stations to be rolled out at shopping centres
Electric vehicle charging stations will be rolled out across 16 shopping centres across the country including the Macquarie Centre in Sydney in a deal between AMP Capital and EV group Evie Networks.
The rollout, which is expected to be completed by July, comes as the switch to EVs gathers pace in Australia and shopping centres aim to become more sustainable. There will be two fast-charging stations per shopping centre that will allow cars to be charged by 100 per cent renewable energy.
AMP Capital head of retail and investment Marco Ettorre said the partnership supported AMP Capital’s sustainability goals whilst delivering value to customers and investors.
“AMP Capital is partnering with industry specialists in the EV space to future-proof our assets, as well as ensure that our customers have the best experience while keeping pace with community expectations for charging solutions.”
Evie Networks chief executive Chris Mills said the company’s fast, universal charging stations were powered by 100 per cent renewable energy and could add up to 150 kilometres of range in just 30 minutes. Traditional charging stations take up to four hours to add comparable range, he said.
“The stations cost 40 cents per kWh per use and by making fast-charging a seamless part of customers’ shopping experiences will help advance our mission to accelerate the adoption of EVs in Australia,” Mills said.
The Evie network will be located at AMP Capital’s centres across NSW, Queensland and Western Australia, including Macquarie Centre in Sydney’s north, Randwick, Marrickville Metro, Dapto, Stud Park. Malvern Central in Perth has already opened.
Ettorre said the pay-per-use charge option of 40 cents per kWh catered for time-poor visitors to the centres. “Shoppers have different needs so whether they are just grabbing a few things or click and collect and need to express charge their vehicle, this is a great option,” he said.
“Of course, longer form charging also plays an important part in the customer experience for those visitors that have several hours to shop and charge.”
Ray White’s head of research, Vanessa Rader, said the latest data from the Electric Vehicle Council shows Australians have tripled their investment in low emission vehicles in 2021, including electric vehicles.
“Despite this jump in activity, this still only represents 2 per cent of the market, showing Australia as a global laggard to the adoption of these vehicles,” Rader said.
“State government infrastructure spend has also increased across each state in regard to growing the fast charge network, with only 291 fast-charging sites across the country this is expected to grow to 700 over the next five years,” she said.
The EV charging rollout includes a specialised highway configuration at Ocean Keys Shopping Centre in WA that will have an ultra-fast charger allowing a full charge within 15 minutes.
Evie Networks is backed by a $100 million commitment from St Baker Energy Innovation Fund, which was founded by power baron Trevor St Baker. It has also secured a $23.85 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).