Yarra leads way with Victoria’s largest roll-out of pole-mounted EV chargers

While interest in electric vehicle (EV) ownership is growing in Yarra, many residents remain hesitant, worried they won’t easily be able to charge their EV – particularly those who live in apartments or in homes without off-street parking.

City of Yarra Mayor, Cr Stephen Jolly said that to address this, Council is making charging easier and more accessible for all residents and businesses.

“Over the next month, 26 pole-mounted EV chargers will be rolled out across Yarra, the largest roll-out to date in Victoria,” he said. “With a mix of one or two charge points per unit, this means an additional 41 EVs will be able to charge at any given time.”

This adds to Yarra's existing network of fast charging stations, including those at Richmond Library, Collingwood Library, outside Piedimonte’s in North Fitzroy, and the new accessible chargers at Collingwood Leisure Centre.

While the pole-mounted chargers are slower comparatively to others (up to 22kW per vehicle) they have been designed for locations where users typically park for two-to-four hours. This means users can add up to 40-150km of range per hour, depending on their vehicle, where they might be parked anyway while visiting local shops and parks.

The announcement of the pole-mounted charger trial earlier this year was a “game-changer” for Clifton Hill resident Merideth Lee, who owns a local interior design company, requiring her to drive almost daily around Melbourne. 

“It was time to get a new car, and I knew I wanted an EV, but I was hesitant because I don’t have access to a charger at either home or work,” she said.

“Once I heard a pole-mounted charger was being installed in my neighbourhood, I had the confidence to purchase an EV. In addition, the chargers outside the Collingwood Leisure Center are close to my work, for times I need a quick charge.”

She added that she hoped the poles gave everyone in Yarra who drives confidence to switch to an EV, regardless of their ability to charge at home.

Council has partnered with CitiPower and EVX as the charge point operators (CPOs). While the City of Yarra provides access to the public locations for the pilot, they do not own, operate or maintain the chargers. These costs are covered by the electricity distributor and the CPO Users will pay a fee to charge their EV and will be required to bring their own charging cable.

For more information visit Pole-mounted electric vehicle charging trial.