Fast charger sparks electric future for Hobart
Published on 08 September 2020
Electric vehicles can now power-up quickly and conveniently in the heart of Hobart city.
A fast-charge station has been installed at the Dunn Place carpark, after the City of Hobart was successful in obtaining a $50,000 ChargeSmart Grant from the Tasmanian Government.
Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds – who today joined Premier Peter Gutwein to launch the new 50kW DC charging station – said she hoped the new infrastructure would be a catalyst in increasing electric vehicle use in Hobart.
“There is a lot of interest in electric vehicles, but some people are holding back because they’re worried about getting caught out without enough charge to get home,” Cr Reynolds said.
“The more electric chargers become available, the more practical owning an electric vehicle becomes and the less daunting it will feel to move away from traditional vehicles.”
Installation of the Dunn Place fast charger builds on the existing AC trickle-charge bays at the Hobart Central carpark.
In the 18-month period from January 2019 to June 2020*, a total of 102 unique users racked up 549 sessions on the free Hobart Central chargers, with the average charge session taking about two hours.
“The existing free trickle chargers are well used, but have limitations due to the slow-charge system and the opening hours of the carpark,” Cr Reynolds said.
“The Dunn Place fast charger can be used at any time of day or night and is in a convenient location with room to expand later on as demand increases.”
The new charging station can fully charge a standard electric car battery in about 30 minutes, which is around a quarter of the time of the older-style trickle chargers.
Provision of electric vehicle infrastructure is included in both the Connected Hobart and draft Sustainable Hobart action plans – the latter of which is currently open for public consultation.
“This project is one example of the work that has been going on for some time to create a more sustainable future for our city,” Cr Reynolds said.
“We see electric vehicles as being important to our future sustainability. We are working towards incorporating electric vehicles into our City fleet and this is reflected as an action in the draft Sustainable Hobart Action Plan.”
Members of the public are invited to provide comment on the draft Sustainable Hobart Action Plan by visiting yoursay.hobartcity.com.au/sustainable-hobart.
The new fast-charge station is a fee-for-service facility that drivers can operate via the EasyPark app. It can be used any time and is located within the Dunn Place carpark, which is accessed via Davey Street.
*data includes a period when Hobart Central carpark was closed due to COVID-19.