The number of Electric Vehicles (EV) on the roads of Noosa is steadily increasing. Now 2 per cent of all locally registered vehicles are EVs, and they make up 12 per cent of new vehicle sales nationally. As the number of models on the market grow, with more affordable brands entering the market, more and more locals and tourists are soundlessly driving around the Shire. But we also hear from friends and colleagues that they are nervous about buying a fully electric car because of range and charging anxiety.
To help ease this EV anxiety ZEN has been exploring the many questions surrounding EV charging needs in the Noosa Shire. These include: Where and how do EV owners charge their cars? Are there enough charging locations in the Shire? If not, where do we need more? What types are needed? And who should be installing them?
Each driver’s needs are different and there are lots of variables and advantages and disadvantages with the various charging options. Let’s start the conversation today with a discussion of where we are at now.
We start by looking at the three different types of chargers.
• Level 1/Mode 2 is the slowest and is an existing single phase powerpoint (home powerpoints).
• Level 2/Mode 3 charge at up to 22 kW (public slow chargers)
• Level 3/Mode 4 are the fast chargers, which power from 25 kW to 350 kW (public fast chargers).
We can safely say that most Noosa local EV owners charge their cars at home using an existing power point (Level 1). A survey by the Electric Vehicle Council found a strong preference across Australia for home charging: 93 per cent of owners charge at home, and about 90% said they use a public charger less than once a week.
Visitors driving to Noosa have different needs. Currently, Noosa has three locations with Level 3 fast chargers. The first, at the Cooroy Railway Station, is targeting long distance drivers happy to make a 5-minute detour off the M1.
Then there are two Level 3 chargers in the Noosa Village carpark. Users love the location as they can charge while they shop but several users report the need to wait. One MG driver noted on the Plugshare app “Can get very busy. Located in the car park of a busy shopping centre. Other than a bit of a wait for my turn, all was good. A better time to charge might perhaps be after the shops are closed.”
The third, and most recent location is at Peregian Village Market. Like Noosa Village, this location provides the opportunity to charge while you shop or grab a coffee.
The slower level 2 chargers in Noosa tend to be located in resorts including Sandcastles, Noosa River Retreat, Noosa Tropicana Resort, RACV Noosa and Noosa Sun Motel. These are largely installed for the resort guests, but some permit other drivers to enquire about charging. They range from about 6 kW to 22 kW.
In summary, there are some good options in the Shire for charging fast or slow or at home, but as EV sales continue to grow there will be a need to increase the number of chargers at a similar rate. In our next article on this topic, we will offer suggestions for how the EV charging infrastructure can be expanded to meet demand.
To explore a wide range of EV options and to talk to private owners and salespeople, come along to Zero Emissions Noosa’s annual EV and Electrify Everything Expo on 21 June at Noosa Junction www.noosaevexpo.com.au.
