Australia will invest $40 million to accelerate the rollout of kerbside and fast-charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.
The federal funding aims to address gaps in public charging availability, particularly for households without off-street parking, while also easing the time and cost burdens of connecting chargers to the grid.
The initiative forms part of the Albanese Government’s broader Net Zero Plan and its $500 million Driving the Nation Fund, which is supporting the nationwide build-out of EV charging corridors and networks.
According to the announcement, the program will progress initiatives to identify optimal connection points on existing electricity networks, develop deployment models for underserved areas, and pilot kerbside charging by adapting power poles for public use.
This approach is intended to leverage distribution network capacity while bringing charging options closer to where Australians live and commute.
“We’ve delivered more choice of cheaper-to-run cars and now we’re going to help make sure it’s easier to charge in the suburbs and the region,” said Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen.
“We want to make connecting EV chargers faster and cheaper and kickstart the kerbside charging potential on poles to expand our EV charging network and that will help more Australians choose an EV.”
He added that EV uptake was strongest in outer suburban areas.
“Industry analysis shows the most common EV buyers using the Electric Car Discount are working Australians, including teachers, nurses and tradies. Top EV adoption areas are in our outer suburban centres such as Werribee in south-west Melbourne, Baulkham Hills in north-west Sydney and Springfield south-west of Brisbane,” he said.
Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Josh Wilson emphasised the role of public infrastructure in equitable access.
“More public charging capacity will support the growing adoption of EVs, especially among Australians without access to off-street parking,” he said.
“We want to give more Australian families and businesses the opportunity to benefit from the significant cost savings of EV ownership.”
Delivery of the program will be shaped by consultations with state and territory governments, energy market bodies, distribution businesses, charging providers and community groups over coming months. Early focus will be on locations with immediate demand and constrained private charging options.