Chargefox setting up HPC network in Australia
Australia is set to receive another HPC network with charging performance available from 150 to 350 kW. This one will be set up by the Australian startup Chargefox, who is planning to set up 21 locations in the first phase, for which it may generate up to 15 million dollars.
The first charging stations will be built in Euroa and Baarnawartha North, in the state of Victoria. The south east of the nation – particularly the stretch between Adelaide and Brisbane, will see 18 of the 21 HPC stations installed alone. Each station will not be more than 200 km away from the next. The other three stations are planned for the Australian west coast around Perth. Operation of the charging stations will begin in 2020.
Financing for the venture was set up by the Sydney-based startup through investment from several sources. This included private investors, such as the leading Australian automobile clubs, Wilson Transformer, and the founder of Carsales, Greg Roebuck, as well as from public funding.
The initiative is competing with another Australian HPC programme, nammed Fast Cities, which plans to set up an HPC network across Australia by 2021. This plans to set up 42 charging locations with at least two 350 kW charging stations built on each. The first phase in the Fast Cities project will see 16 locations between Brisbane and Melbourne equipped with chargers. The financing for this project is less varied, with seven million dollars alone coming from Trevor St Bakers Energy Innovation Fund.
Australia is generally considered one of the slower “western” nations in terms of adapting to electric mobility. In 2017, EVs made up only 0.2% of car sales in the nation, which is considerably less than is seen in the US or Europe, as the recent CAM report shows. Particularly considering the raw potential for solar energy production in the nation, this is vexing.
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