AU: Chargefox opens high power charging site #18
Chargefox has opened its first ultra-rapid charging station in Western Australia, the eighteenth nationally. The EV charging network provider has also signed a deal with Volvo following similar agreements with other major carmakers.
The latest station means Chargefox has expanded to Western Australia for the first time, with the opening of its 18th site at Australind. The charging site features two Tritium Veefil PK chargers capable of 350 kW – the actual charging rate depends on each model’s built-in inverter. Ionity in Europe uses the same chargers. At an average of 20kWh/100km, the 350kW chargers can deliver up to 450km of range in 15 minutes, Chargefox informs.
CEO Marty Andrews says all of its ultra-rapid charging sites are powered by renewable energy while others use green energy “where possible”. He also points to the uptake of the company’s network, which also encompasses management of the Queensland Electric Super Highway.
“We have almost 10,000 users on our app, and we have powered more than 145,000 EV charging sessions,” adds the CEO.
And, they have another carmaker in their portfolio as well. Owners of the Volvo XC40 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid receive five years unlimited charging at all Chargefox ultra-rapid sites and at participating Chargefox-managed fast-charging sites Australia-wide, the company announces.
Volvo joins the growing list of brands such as Nissan, BMW, Porsche, Jaguar, Audi and Mercedes that have such deals with Chargefox, however recently.
The Australian electric car market had been slow to grow. Not only were there few if any favourable policies, but the offer of electrified models Down Under had also been limited. Yet sales are increasing, with 340% more electric vehicles sold year-to-date than in 2019, and there are several more affordable, new electric models on the cusp of hitting the Australian market such as the MG ZS EV, as reported. The Tesla Model 3 had arrived in late 2019 as well.
CEO Marty anticipates that “2021 will be the year that we will see the tipping point of EV adoption in Australia,” also helped along by the company’s growing network that now allows drivers travelling from Melbourne to Adelaide without long charging stops.
Behyad Jafari, CEO of the Electric Vehicle Council, told the company, 56 per cent of Australians are now considering purchasing an electric car as their next vehicle, “and access to world-class charging infrastructure is key to their decision.”
ChargeFox is not alone in forging forward with charging infrastructure for the sunburnt country. Evie Networks is also building a fast-charging network throughout Australia and is cooperating with California-based EV Connect. In 2019, Chinese start-up XCharge announced its intention to set up a network of at least 1,000 DC chargers in Australia – including several HPC stations with up to 350 kW. At the same time, Chargefox keeps moving forward.
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