Western Australia is on track to develop the country’s longest electric highway as part of the $21 million Electric Vehicle Fund.
The infrastructure network includes up to 90 fast charging stations and back-up chargers at 45 different locations connecting Perth and regional Western Australia—stretching north to Kununurra, south to Esperance and east to Kalgoorlie.
Electric vehicle owners will easily be able to travel the state along these routes, with the average distance between charging stations around 160km.
Most electric cars can run for at least 400km on one charge and it is expected the technology will continue to improve over the next few years.
One of the most popular models can run for 550km on one charge.
The network will allow electric vehicles to be charged in as little as 15 minutes and locations have been chosen to encourage tourists to spend this time exploring local regional towns.
A tender for the charging stations’ design is expected to go out to market by the end of 2021, with the network expected to be fully operational by early 2024.
The locations of the stations have been determined by energy providers Synergy and Horizon Power in consultation with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation.
This announcement is part of the State Government’s $21 million Electric Vehicle Fund and the State Electric Vehicle Strategy for Western Australia.
The State Government has today also launched the Electric Vehicle Action Plan, which provides a set of actions to prepare Western Australia for a rapid uptake of electric vehicles and a new brochure for fleet managers.
These actions will make the electricity system more resilient and will support the continued uptake of rooftop solar.
