Tasmania's first DC electric vehicle fast charger switched on

Published on 19 October 2018

Tasmania's first public 50kw DC electric vehicle fast charger will be officially switched on this morning.

Capable of charging the majority of electric vehicle batteries to 80 per cent within 30 minutes, the Tritium fast charger has been installed in Launceston's Paterson St East car park.

The $65,000 project will also see a slower, AC electric vehicle charger installed in the car park, with plans for chargers to also be installed in the new C.H. Smith car park.

Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten said electric vehicles represented a small but growing segment of the Tasmanian vehicle market.

"Electric vehicle sales are predicted to keep climbing, and one of the things that will be necessary for that is improved access to the charging infrastructure that is required," Mayor van Zetten said.

"EV technology is continuing to improve and major vehicle manufacturers across the board are continuing to introduce new EV models to the marketplace.

"We may still be some years away from seeing significant numbers of electric vehicles on Tasmanian roads, but I hope projects like this send a clear signal to the market that Councils like ours will support this technology with public infrastructure."

Vehicles will be able to use the charger at no cost until the start of the new financial year, though parking fees will still apply.

Mayor van Zetten said the project was made possible by the Council's other work in the sustainability sector.

"In recent years, for example, we have installed solar panels on the roof of the Town Hall, the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, the Windmill Hill Community Hall, the Launceston Waste Centre, and the Council's Remount Rd depot," Mayor van Zetten said.

"We have also introduced energy efficient LED lighting in street lights across the municipality, as well as in buildings like the Albert Hall, parks like Princes Square, and facilities like our multistorey car parks. We have installed new lux and motion sensors to reduce the amount of time our lighting is on and introduced innovative energy efficient heating systems. This work saw the City of Launceston take out the 'Sustainable Cities Award' at last year's Keep Australia Beautiful Tasmanian Tidy Town Awards.

"And it also delivers savings to us that we are able to channel into other sustainability projects around Launceston, like this one."

Media opportunity: Launceston Mayor Albert van Zetten will demonstrate the new electric vehicle charger at 11am today at the Paterson St East car park.