Electric vehicles

You can charge your EV at home using a normal power point. See the chart at the bottom of this page for home charging options.

Some people have a Level 2 charger installed which costs between $700 to $2,500 plus up to $1,000 for installation. This makes charging at home faster and more convenient and requires a dedicated 32amp circuit and circuit breaker. The only time fast charging matters for most people is when they’re planning a road trip that is further than their car’s range.

If you can charge your EV during the day, the simplest method is to use a timer in the car or at the charger to take advantage of solar power generation. Many people also use this approach for heat pump hot water systems. Your timer won’t know if it is cloudy, or if you are using solar elsewhere in the home, but it is usually effective. There are also readily available add-on controllers that will only charge the car when you have excess solar capacity.

Every home is different, so it’s best to consult a knowledgeable electrician. Most all-electric homes should be OK on existing single phase power. You might need to install dedicated circuits for EV charging, an induction cooktop, or heat pump hot water.

Public DC fast chargers (over 30kW DC) typically have their own cable, but most public AC chargers (7kW, 22kW AC) require you to bring your own cable. Even if you mostly charge at home, having a Type 2 to Type 2 cable (about $150-$250) is handy for most free public AC chargers. We suggest you get a 7m cable rated at 11 or 22kW which should be compatible with most public chargers. If you have a home wall charger that has a detachable cable, you can take it with you. However, it might be more convenient to keep a second cable in your car boot.

An EV is far less likely to catch on fire than a petrol car. See the EV FireSafe website for more information.

Except for offroad vehicles, spare wheels are on the way out for electric and petrol cars due to space and weight considerations. Most newer cars have a limp home facility as well as a tyre repair kit.

How far is your normal drive? Most people only drive about 30kms a day - easily within the range of available EVs. There are also fast chargers available for longer trips.

There are already many more EV chargers than petrol stations as every home garage is effectively a potential charging station. More public EV charging stations are being installed every day. Visit Plugshare to find charging stations around Australia.

Not yet. There has been a lot of discussion in the media about the possibility of vehicle to home (V2H) and Vehicle to grid (V2G), but these technologies are relatively new, expensive and only available in a few EV models. It is also currently only approved for installation and use in South Australia. Other states haven’t given an indication of timing. V2G hardware suppliers and vehicle manufacturers have also not given any set dates for release into Australia.

There are many issues to consider and different apartment owner corporations are more or / less helpful - some considerations here.

This is an area that is still developing here and overseas. A number of councils are currently running trials to find solutions to this issue.

Charging is sometimes available at the local shopping centre so you can charge while you shop.