ENA’s 2024 Time Is Now report shows EV ownership saves the average Australian at least $2,500 a year — and that was before petrol topped $2 a litre.

Energy Networks Australia (ENA) says the anxiety Australians are feeling about petrol supply and prices could have been avoided if long‑proposed reforms to speed up electric vehicle (EV) charging had been implemented sooner.

ENA has submitted a rule change request to the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) to help speed up the process.  This will enable faster rollout of kerbside EV charging, arguing delays have left households more exposed to fuel price shocks and unable to access the lower running costs EVs can offer.

ENA Chief External Affairs Officer, Emma Shanks said the lack of convenient, everyday charging has slowed EV uptake at the very time households are looking for alternatives to petrol.

Under current national electricity rules, distribution networks are not clearly permitted to install, own and maintain kerbside EV chargers as part of their regulated role, preventing large‑scale rollout.

ENA is proposing a modest rule change to allow kerbside chargers to be treated as a regulated distribution service, enabling networks to provide the infrastructure while retailers and charging providers compete to serve customers.

Ms Shanks said that in NSW alone, an electricity distributor could install up to 40 kerbside chargers per week, at a cost of just $1.60 to $2.10 per customer per year.  She said that this scale‑up could ultimately put downward pressure on network charges, with modelling showing bills could fall by up to $14 per customer per year by 2029 as EV uptake increases.

Further, ENA’s Time Is Now report  – published in August 2024 – shows that EV ownership lowers both vehicle running costs and the average customer’s overall “energy wallet bill” by at least $2,500 per year – even before petrol prices hit over $2 per litre.

“Australia’s EV charging network is underdeveloped by global standards, and it’s holding people back,” Ms Shanks said.

“That’s an equity issue for renters, apartment dwellers and households without a garage.”

ENA’s Street Smart report shows Australia has far fewer public charge points relative to the number of EVs than comparable countries, creating uncertainty for drivers and slowing adoption.

Electricity networks are well placed to deliver this infrastructure at lowest cost, leveraging their existing workforce and assets.

“This isn’t about networks selling electricity to EV drivers,” Ms Shanks said.

“Networks would provide the infrastructure, while competitive charging providers offer services – just as households choose their energy retailer today.”

In addition to the call for a rule change to kerbside charging installation, ENA supports extending the Electric Car Discount.  Ms Shanks says any move to weaken or scrap the Discount would increase pressure on household budgets and lock more Australians into higher fuel costs at a time of ongoing cost-of-living challenges.

“With petrol prices above $2 a litre, driving on electricity is around four times cheaper^[1] per kilometre than petrol,” she said.

“Scaling up kerbside charging would improve use of the electricity grid, lower system costs and help ensure the benefits of electrification are shared more evenly across Australian communities.”

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Additional information:

•  The International Energy Agency’s 2025 Global EV Outlook cites that there are 45 EVs for every public charging point in Australia, compared with a global average of just 11.
• ENA is the national industry body representing Australia’s electricity transmission and distribution and gas distribution networks. Our members provide more than 16 million electricity and gas connections to almost every home and business across Australia.

Media enquiries: Kirsten Hodgon, news@energynetworks.com.au, 0404 306 819