Sydney's electric car charger network getting a Jolt

Transport for New South Wales has partnered with Australian electric vehicle (EV) charger network provider Jolt to roll out up to 50 new EV chargers at transport hubs across Sydney.

The first of these “fast” EV chargers has been switched on at the Penrith commuter car park. Sites at Cronulla and Oatley are set to be delivered “in the coming weeks”.

The New South Wales Government has invested $250,000 into the Jolt charger partnership, in addition to the $209 million worth of funding delivered as part of the NSW Government EV strategy.

Jolt offers EV drivers a free 7kWh top up, which it claims equates to approximately 45km of fast charging, every calendar day.

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The company also says this free 7kWh charge takes around 17 minutes, depending on the car.

After users have reached the 7kWh threshold, a cost of $0.46 per kWh will be applied. There’s also an idle fee of $1.00 per minute for when a vehicle is plugged in and occupying the space but no longer charging.

Jolt claims its chargers use “certified GreenPower”, which mean they deliver energy directly from renewable sources or through certified offsets.

“These chargers will offer commuters a simple top-up option at train stations and other hubs, and we’re confident they’ll be very popular,” said Transport for New South Wales acting chief technology and innovation officer Kurt Brissett.

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“It is important that we do what we can to support the transition to electric vehicles and encourage public transport use where possible.

“In the last year, EV registrations have risen more than 150 per cent on average across NSW and more than tripled in Penrith.

“Motorists across NSW already have access to more than 820 public charging stations, however, these can often be far apart or can take hours to fully charge a standard electric vehicle.”

Jolt has been growing its network of EV chargers across Australia over the last few years.

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One of its most recent partnerships was to provide seven public 25kW DC chargers in the Knox City Council area in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.

As part of an overarching plan Jolt is planning to have more than 5000 chargers nationwide over the next five to 10 years.

The company also recently expanded into New Zealand and is looking at rolling out chargers across Canada and the UK as well.

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