Polestar 2 showcases sustainable BiØfil chargers to cross the Nullarbor

Polestar has become the first manufacturer to use a ground-breaking electric vehicle charging system in Australia, showing off the technology with its Polestar 2 sedan.

Located at the Caiguna Roadhouse, some 370km east of Norseman and 370km west of the South Australian border, the BiØfil charger is the first in the world to utilise waste vegetable oil for electric vehicle charging, tying up a loose end on the Nullarbor which had prevented a majority of EVs from completing a "lap of the map".

Running off a generator, the unit is powered by vege oil, totally offsetting its own carbon footprint, allowing the station to run sustainably and off the grid.

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Retired West Australian engineer Jon Edwards is the mastermind of the BiØfil system, claiming it is both better suited to the demands of the region as well as being significantly cheaper than solar to recharge EVs.

“The cost of installing an equivalent solar powered EV fast charger is over five times the cost of building the BiØfil fast charging unit," said Edwards.

"Solar energy would not have been economically feasible for such a low-traffic location, making BiØfil the environmentally friendly interim solution for EVs driving across the Nullarbor right now.”

Edwards has trialled the technology before, running a Tesla Model 3 in tarmac rally events with the BiØfil charger in tow to ensure the car could be topped up between stages.

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Samantha Johnson, Polestar Australia's managing director, praised Edwards and BiØfil for shoring up an EV black hole in crossing the Nullarbor Plain in a sustainable and environmentally responsible way.

“Polestar is thrilled to share its passion for innovation and sustainability with visionaries like Jon Edwards,” said Johnson.

“To turn a waste product into a CO2-neutral charging solution, which connects Australian EV owners from the east with the west, is the sort of ingenuity that has led to so many Australian innovations.”

The Polestar 2 Standard Range Single Motor has a quoted 440km driving range when fitted with its base 64kWh battery pack, increasing up to 540km thanks to a 78kWh pack in Long Range Single Motor trim.