Energy Networks Australia (ENA) has welcomed today’s Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) draft rule enabling the Commonwealth’s $40 million Accelerating EV Charging Program, which would deliver about 14,000 chargers in regional blackspots and busy city streets.

“If you don’t have a driveway, owning an EV is still harder than it should be,” ENA CEO Dom van den Berg said.

“Renters, apartment residents and regional drivers will be left behind. This decision starts to change that.”

Ms van den Berg said the program had been designed with household budgets in mind.

“We know people are doing it tough. Private operators get first go at city sites, networks step in where the market won’t, and the AEMC estimates the cost at just a dollar a year for a typical household,” she said.

“We need to put this into context: 14,000 chargers are a good start but Australia needs an enduring solution. We need to deliver the scale of charging infrastructure required for road users, today and in the future, to switch to EVs and capture the associated cost savings.”

ENA’s rule change proposal, now being considered by the AEMC, would allow networks to play a role in supporting ongoing EV charging deployment and install kerbside chargers on existing poles, with every proposal scrutinised by the regulator.

“Our model keeps competition at the plug. Networks build and maintain the chargers, but we wouldn’t sell the power. Drivers choose their provider, just like they do at home,” Ms van den Berg said.

“It’s about using infrastructure already on our streets to make EV charging accessible to people who cannot charge at home and are not yet being served by the market.”

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*Energy Networks Australia 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: Kristina Zarich | news@energynetworks.com.au | 0499 396 217