Evie Networks has released new road trip data for electric vehicle (EV) drivers over the holiday season, forecasting public EV charging to nearly double over the Christmas holiday season.
Evie Networks said the Christmas holidays are a period notoriously known for traffic, higher-than-usual petrol prices and long EV charging wait times, with Saturday 21 December and Sunday 22 December 2024 predicted to be the busiest days of 2024.
With an 83 per cent increase in new drivers on the network, Evie Networks said it is catering for increased demand and has expanded its EV charging infrastructure across Australia to avoid long queues these holidays.
Since Christmas 2023, Evie has increased its total national sites from 200 to 278 and total national bays from 438 to 732.
Evie Networks said it is also facilitating a growing uptake of EV drivers in the Sunshine State, having expanded Queensland sites from 33 to more than 60 and Queensland bays from 92 to more than 200 from 2023 to 2024.
Queenslanders are also expected to benefit from Evie Networks new partnership with The Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ), offering its members exclusive discounts across the largest fast-charging network in Queensland.
As part of the partnership, eligible RACQ members will receive a four cent per kilowatt-hour discount on their first 1000kWh charging each year.
To access the discount, members must link their RACQ membership number on the Evie app. The discount is now available at Evie Networks’ public fast-charging stations across Queensland and Northern New South Wales.
Evie’s chargers in Queensland and Northern NSW will soon be co-branded with RACQ, ensuring members have clear visibility of these stations wherever they go.
In partnership, RACQ and Evie Networks expect Queensland charging bays to increase by a further 28 per cent by May 2025.
Evie Networks CEO, Chris Mills, says the new partnership with RACQ ensures Queenslanders have access to fast, convenient and reliable EV charging infrastructure, which couldn’t have come at a better time ahead of the summer holidays.
“We encourage EV drivers heading on a Christmas road trip to plan ahead and take regular breaks, especially when driving long distance. Our sites are at convenient locations with plenty of amenities. So it’s a great opportunity to stretch your legs, refresh and let the kids run off some steam.
“As your friend on the road, we want to help customers prepare for our busiest season yet.”