Pittwater Life May 2023 Issue

Boost for local EV uptake
News
As the Northern Beaches charges ahead
with electric vehicle (EV) uptake, new
EV chargers are popping up across the
Peninsula, including most recently at
Ocean Street, Narrabeen and Lagoon Street
Carpark, Narrabeen.
Council says there are now more than 20
EV charging locations across the Northern
Beaches with many more in the pipeline,
making it one of the fastest growing areas
for EV uptake.
Northern Beaches Deputy Mayor Sue
Heins said: “The State Government is
aiming for 52 per cent of new vehicle
sales to be electric by 2030 and the
Federal Government is aiming for 89
per cent, so we really need to ensure
our community has the right infrastructure
to support EV uptake,” Cr
Heins said.
“Council is leading by example, continually
adding electric vehicles to our
fleet. We are heartened to see Northern
Beaches residents making the switch
to electric and we want to support
them by offering more places for them
to charge their vehicle using certified
green energy.”
Recent additions to the network
were installed by JOLT and include two
new chargers on Council land in Narrabeen
and a new charger in Brookvale. This
brings the number of JOLT chargers on the
Beaches to eight.
JOLT’s network is powered by 100%
Australian certified green energy and provides
EV drivers with free, fast charging.
EV owners pay nothing for the first 7kWh
every day.
JOLT CEO Doug McNamee said EV chargers
on the Beaches had become some of the
most utilised in Australia.
EXAMPLE: Sue Heins says Council is leading the way.
“We have been receiving positive
feedback from the local EV owners,” Mr
McNamee said.
“As the drivers are fitting EV charging
within their daily routine, whether that’s
getting grocery or a coffee, there’s been
high traffic and need for more chargers.
We’re excited to help drivers to travel even
more freely, without range anxiety.”
Late last year, Council also announced
its involvement in the new Intellihub EV
Streetside Charging Project that will
see at least 5 EV chargers installed on
street-side power poles.
According to the Federal Government,
the transport sector is responsible
for a whopping 19% of Australia’s
total carbon emissions.
Council is aiming for a 30 per cent
reduction in vehicle emissions by
2038, as outlined in its MOVE Northern
Beaches Transport Strategy.
Council currently has five fully
electric, five plug-in hybrid and 15
hybrid vehicles in its fleet.
To a view a map of publicly available
EV chargers visit electricvehiclecouncil.com.au
– Nigel Wall
*What do you think? Tell us at readers@pittwaterlife.com.au
8 MAY 2023
The Local Voice Since 1991