Speaking on the new charger installation, managing director of Polestar Australia, Samantha Johnson, stated that “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.”
EV enthusiasts have already visited the charger, as reported by ABC News, with EV owner Nigel Ball showing up for the unveiling in a Tesla bearing numberplates reading “RIP OIL.” It’s a game-changer for the Nullabor crossing, where previously only slow AC charging was available, if that. Ball noted “There’s no way I would have done it before—sleeping in every roadhouse along the Nullabor is not my idea of fun.”
As for ongoing patronage, Edwards notes that “The average number of EVs crossing the Nullarbor over the last five years is five per year.” However, that’s expected to tick up, as Edwards adds “Once these guys know there is fast charging, they will start making plans for trips. I’m expecting that to be 20, or even 40, within 12 months or so.”
EVs have the advantage in energy efficiency, though historically have not been as capable of undertaking long road trips. Detractors often claim slow recharge times and a lack of infrastructure mean that electric cars will never go mainstream. Feats like this one show that those fears are hardly based in fact anymore, and are set to become even less relevant as vehicle range increases and more chargers continue to be installed.
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