Out and about in an electric vehicle (EV)

An EV's range (how far it can travel with a charged battery) depends on vehicle type and battery capacity. EVs currently in the Australian market have driving ranges between 224kms and 612kms. Generally, lower cost EVs have a shorter range on one charge than more expensive EVs.

The average South Australian drives 35km per day. Given this short daily range, battery range is rarely an issue for daily driving. Most EV owners won't have to plug in every night, which means you can be selective about when you charge and take advantage of cheaper electricity in off-peak periods of the day and night.

Public EV charging stations are a great option for topping up during the day, at your destination or during a long journey. Find a charging station on the Electric Vehicle Council's charger map.

Destination charging 

• Top-up charging overnight at the end of each leg of a multi-day trip at a friend or family member's home or at your hotel accommodation. 
• Plug into an existing power point or wall mount charger. 
• 10kms to 70kms of range is added for every hour charged (actual amount depends on vehicle and charger).

Public chargers

Level 2 - Fast AC charger (up to 22kW)

Level 2 - Fast AC charger (up to 22kW)  Bring your own charging cable supplied with the vehicle.   Usually located in public car parks and kerb-side locations.  40 to 100km range added per hour charging (depending on vehicle).

Level 3 - Fast DC charger (25kW – 350kW )

Level 3 - Fast DC charger (25kW – 350kW+)  Fastest possible charging rates, good for stops on longer journeys.  Usually located in commercial and highway locations.   From 150km range added per hour charged, with some vehicles able to be fully charged within 10-15 minutes.

 

 

State-wide charging network 

The State Government and RAA are investing in a statewide public charging network in South Australia, to be constructed during 2022-2023. In total, 536 new fast and rapid chargers will be available to drivers across 140 locations. These will be in 55 rural, regional, and metropolitan locations, in supermarkets, carparks, town centres, council owned sites, hotels, and motels.

Electric Vehicle Action Plan

As part of the SA Government’s Electric Vehicle Action Plan, a range of EV Smart Charging Trials are being implemented across the state.  

AGL SA Smart Charging Trial 

• 19 smart chargers to be installed in Wilson Parking Adelaide CBD carparks. 
• 9 chargers to be installed to support commercial fleets. 
• Trial data will be collected to understand commercial fleet driver charging behaviour.  

Chargefox Pty Ltd – Rapid DC Time of Use Pricing Smart Charging Trial 

• New metropolitan DC fast charging site built, and trial conducted to test charging behaviour with pricing adjustments to electricity market events.  

JOLT Charge Pty Limited – 50 kW Rapid Charger and Dynamic Signal Pricing Trial 

• Assess impacts of incentivising charging times on consumer behaviour.  
• 50kW chargers funded by advertising display panels to be installed.  

UPark EV Fleet Smart Charging 

• Commercial fleet charging provided to UPark customers.  
• Demand management will be linked to wholesale electricity prices, reducing peak demand and costs.