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AN electric car company is aiming to base a charging station on the Border as part of its plan to set up recharging sites from Melbourne to Brisbane by next year. Indigo and Greater Hume shire mayors said yesterday they would be keen to discuss the possibility of locating the charging site in their areas. The high-powered supercharger station would have economic benefits for the host location. Marketing and communications manager with Tesla Motors, Heath Walker said the 20 minutes it takes for a half-charge, and hour for a full charge, is time that motorists could spend feeding the local economy. “There will be one in the region and at this stage likely to be on the Victorian side,” Mr Walker said. “We are looking for facilities with amenities and dining for our owners so they can stop, enjoy the facilities and get to the next location.” The supercharger station would be one of 16 planned between the two cities. They are constructed in sets of two and in most cases have between four to eight sets at a station. Only 1015 electric cars were sold in Australia last year, however Mr Walker said as the infrastructure goes in, more people are likely to adopt that mode of transport. “In terms of what’s right for the market, it’s about overcoming the perceived barriers of owning electric vehicles,” he said. “Electricity coming from our superchargers is free and renewable.” A fully charged car has a range of up to 500 kilometres and Mr Walker said the stations would allow a quick charge and longer trips. “The majority of charging is done at home, but what we are enabling is long distance travelling in electric vehicles,” he said. “It also aligns to revive and survive message of long distance travel, people can re-energise themselves while fuelling up their car.” Greater Hume mayor Cr Heather Wilton said they were “open for business”, “We would certainly be interested in talking to them, looking at their concept and encouraging them to come into Greater Hume,” Cr Wilton said. Indigo mayor Bernard Gaffney said he too would also be interested in discussions. “We are perfectly located halfway between Melbourne and Canberra,” Cr Gaffney said. “I’d imagine it is a growth industry and we would be happy to look at a business plan from the company.”

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