Australia EV charging rollout faces access risk on residential power poles

Traders Union
All News
Business & Wealth
Australia EV charging rollout

Highlights

Australia's Accelerating EV Charging Program will install about 14,000 public chargers on city power poles from 2027, more than doubling current capacity.
Usage data from Sydney's eastern suburbs shows undedicated kerbside chargers operate at just 5–10 percent the utilisation rate of dedicated chargers, risking underused infrastructure.
The Department of Climate Change values potential emissions reductions at 9.8 million tonnes of CO2 ($802 million), but blocked access may impede achieving these targets.

Program design raises charger access concerns

As reported by ABC News, the federal government's Accelerating EV Charging Program is set to more than double the number of public EV chargers by installing about 14,000 units on power poles in high-density city areas from 2027.

Under the program's rules, installers are not required to negotiate with councils for dedicated EV-only parking, and many in the sector expect most kerbside chargers to be undedicated. That means petrol and diesel vehicles can still occupy the spaces, a problem EV drivers describe as being "ICEd", leaving charging assets blocked and underused.

Data shared with the broadcaster suggests this design could undermine charger utilisation and leave infrastructure, partly funded through higher household power bills, sitting idle. It also raises questions about whether the program's modelled emissions reductions will be fully achieved.

Usage data points to lower returns without dedicated bays

Pressure for kerbside charging is growing because about a quarter of motorists do not have off-street parking, with the share higher in inner-city districts. At the same time, reserving scarce street parking for EVs can be politically difficult when electric vehicles account for only about 3 percent of cars on the road.

Sydney's eastern suburbs already show the tension between rising EV ownership and limited home charging access. In the Waverley, Woollahra and Randwick council areas, more than half of residents live in apartments and EV ownership is more than three times the New South Wales average.

Anthony Weinberg, program manager for the EV charging program across the three councils, said the area has 320 public charging ports, including 90 undedicated chargers that sit mostly unused because they are obstructed. He said utilisation at those sites is about 5 to 10 percent of the level seen at dedicated charging spots.

A dedicated charger on Ocean Street in North Bondi recorded 988 sessions over the past year, while a similar undedicated charger one kilometre away on Glenayr Street logged 40 sessions. Another undedicated charger on nearby Curlewis Street recorded just four charging sessions in 12 months.

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water models the program as supporting emissions reductions of 9.8 million tonnes of CO2, valued at $802 million. Even with the access concerns, the Australian Energy Market Commission backs the plan, and the first kerbside chargers are scheduled for installation from March 2027.

In our earlier article on Pakistan’s planned joint venture for electric bus manufacturing with China’s Shengtang Group, we covered how the MoU aims to bring technology transfer, build local production capacity, and develop export-ready EVs under a Made in Pakistan framework. We also noted the government’s push to attract longer-term industrial investment, including interest spanning EVs, lithium-ion batteries, and charging infrastructure.

This material may contain third-party opinions, none of the data and information on this webpage constitutes investment advice according to our Disclaimer. While we adhere to strict Editorial Integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners.