Chargefox stations will allow drivers to charge electric vehicles in just minutes

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Drivers travelling between Australia’s major cities could soon charge their electric vehicles in just 15 minutes with a super-fast network being rolled out across the country.

The 21 sites on highways between Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane will be powered entirely by renewable energy. Sites are also planned for Western Australia.

The “ultra rapid” stations will allow electric vehicles to add up to 400km of range in a fraction of the hours it takes to charge at existing points.

Australian start-up Chargefox raised $15m to start building the network, including $6m from the federal government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency.

Arena’s chief executive, Darren Miller, said it was a “game changing” project that would help ease worries about range and encourage more people to drive electric vehicles.

“This network will help alleviate that concern by giving motorists comfort they can travel long distances,” he said on Monday.

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“Electrification of Australia’s transport sector could reduce emissions and dramatically change how we use electricity.”

The first two charging sites will be in Euroa in Victoria and in Barnawartha North just outside Albury-Wodonga on the Victoria-NSW border.