Electric vehicle charge station powers up

THE power was turned on for Australia’s first electric vehicle (EV) charging station in Sydney today as EV infrastructure company ChargePoint and car-share rental firm GoGet launched a dedicated charging station for a plug-in Toyota Prius.

Officially opened by Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, the charging station at a dedicated EV parking space in Derby Place, Glebe, is the first of several to be rolled out by ChargePoint in Australia, with the next due in Canberra in June.

Ms Moore said the City of Sydney would evaluate the charging station in anticipation of engaging its own plug-in EV fleet later this yearThe Glebe charging station is a 15-amp, 240-volt outlet that takes up to three hours to fully recharge the GoGet rental Prius, which is a plug-in hybrid, not an EV.

The Prius is one of 14 Prius hybrids on the GoGet fleet but the first to be modified to accept a plug-in mains charge. It has a 30km range on a fully charged battery pack.

According to GoGet, the plug-in Prius fee structure is the same as existing Prius – $7.10 an hour and 35 cents a kilometre. Go Get charges customers $5.10 a hour and 35 cents a kilometres for its Toyota Yaris.

If demand warrants it, GoGet will expand its rechargeable Prius fleet and increase charging station locations.

GoGet estimates that most users will travel 25km in a round trip, and so will likely not need the petrol engine to recharge the depleted battery pack. Based on this usage, Go Get estimates the Prius’ 45-litre fuel tank would empty only every 2500km.

Origin Energy supplies the Glebe charging station with green energy, which means Origin buys renewable energy certificates to offset the charging station’s electricity consumption.

ChargePoint rival Better Place is has chosen Canberra for the start of its charging station roll out from next year.