The Federal Government has today announced a new $70 million round of grant funding for charging infrastructure, to be delivered through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
Following the release of the Government’s National Electric Vehicle Strategy, the funding is another critical step to make electric vehicles more accessible for all Australians, said Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen.
Mr Bowen said the grants will help improve charging technology to one day make EV chargers as accessible as service stations right across the country.
“Today’s announcement through ARENA is in addition to the Government’s National Electric Vehicle Charging Network which will deliver a truly national EV charging network with a charger approximately every 150km on our major highways”, he said.
“Australians know that electric and more fuel-efficient vehicles are cleaner and cheaper to run and after less than a year in Government, more Australian households and businesses can access them.
“Transport costs are a huge part of household budgets, and getting the charging infrastructure in place for electric vehicles is critical to ensuring households have a real choice when it comes to picking their next car.”
The Minister says the $70 million funding round will make it easier to install the right type of charging infrastructure where it is needed and give more Australians access to charging facilities, including apartment block residents and remote and regional communities.
This funding round is expected to support more than 10 projects that will address barriers to public charging and management of charging.
The funding will be available to councils, local governments and Australian businesses, as well as State and Territory owned corporations to apply for projects which will improve charging infrastructure in their area.
Today’s announcement is part of a total funding package of $146.1 million, which will be delivered by ARENA over the next five years to continue to support business fleets, new technologies for heavy and long-distance vehicles, public charging and hydrogen refuelling stations, as well as innovative management of charging.
“This will improve accessibility and make it easier to get more Australian motorists who want to make the switch into cheaper, cleaner EVs.”
“After 10 years of no EV policy at the federal level, we are playing catch-up to ensure the charging infrastructure is there when and where we need it,” said Mr Bowen.
For more information and to apply for funding, visit www.arena.gov.au/funding/driving-the-nation-program.
