Jolt to open new EV chargers in Sydney

More than 230 electric vehicle charging stations will be installed in Sydney by 2025 – expanding to in excess of 1000 over the next decade, it has been announced today.

EV network provider Jolt has teamed up with electricity firm Endeavour Energy to create the new chargers which will be rolled out across Western Sydney over the coming years.

Crucially for drivers, the new EV charging stations will be free to use for the first 7kWh that day, and will be installed on existing Endeavour Energy streetside substations – meaning they will be available for those who do not have access to off-street charging for quick top-ups.

According to Endeavour Energy, the first points are expected to open as early as the end of this year.

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“In a world where we are ‘electrifying everything’, our customers are depending on us to support their daily life – for commuting, working remotely, for education and entertainment,” said chief customer and strategy officer, Leanne Pickering.

“The partnership with Jolt harnesses the exciting momentum around EVs as people see the benefits of contribution to the environment through reducing carbon emissions and cleaner air.

“We are building a modern grid that can support the sustainability aspirations of every customer on our network – from large scale commercial solar farms to resident battery storage and an EV charging network."

By 2040 the firm predicts there will be around 1.3 million electric cars in the Endeavour Energy network, which covers Sydney’s Greater West, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands, the Illawarra, and NSW South Coast.

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"We're thrilled to be expanding our footprint to the wider Sydney area and provide free, fast charging to more EV drivers through our partnership with Endeavour Energy,” said Jolt CEO, Doug McNamee.

“Our communities want greater accessibility and more EV chargers to be able to charge on the go. In the last two years alone, the Jolt network has given out more than 162,000 free kilometres to EV drivers across Australia. We’re delighted to begin stage one of our plans with Endeavour Energy to help electrify the future of transportation."

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Across the Jolt charging network, all electric vehicle drivers will have access to 7kWh of free charging per day, providing around 40 to 50 kilometres of driving range and a 15-minute charging time, depending on the type of vehicle.

Jolt's chargers, most of which are 25kW DC fast outlets, are powered by 100 per cent green energy.

By comparison, a Kia EV6 Air using a 350kW DC fast charger can be topped up by roughly 370km in 18 minutes, or a Tesla Supercharger can provide around 320km of driving range in 15 minutes.

Tuesday's announcement adds to existing plans 5000 free EV chargers nationwide thanks to an investment of $500million from US firm BlackRock.

It also joins another partnership between Jolt and electricity firm Ausgrid for more free charging points – the first of which opened in the Sydney suburb of Mona Vale last year.