Queensland’s electric super highway fully charged

Kiwi tourists to Australia can now drive electric vehicles all the way from Coolangatta to Cairns, and west from Brisbane to Toowoomba.

That’s thanks to the addition of charging stations at Townsville and Carmila.

With these two charging stations coming on line last week, the initial phase of the Queensland Electric Super Highway (QESH) is officially up and running, transport and main roads minister Mark Bailey says.

“We now have the world’s longest electric vehicle super highway in a single state stretching all the way up our beautiful eastern coastline,” he says.

The Palaszczuk Government first announced the QESH in June 2017, and just over six months later, with the completion of chargers at Townsville and Carmila, it is now possible for motorists with EVs to drive from Coolangatta to Cairns.

Fast-charging stations have been installed in Bowen, Cairns, Carmila, Childers, Gatton, Hamilton, Gold Coast Airport (Coolangatta), Mackay, Marlborough, Maryborough, Miriam Vale, Rockhampton, Springfield, Sunshine Coast (Cooroy), Townsville, Toowoomba and Tully.

The next charger expected to come online will be at Helensvale, operational after the Commonwealth Games.

Bailey says the government has a vision to encourage the uptake of EVs in Queensland as part of a transition to a low emissions future.

He says it is the Palaszczuk Government’s plan to expand the QESH and continue rolling out charging stations across the state’s vast road network as part of The Future is Electric: Queensland’s Electric Vehicle Strategy, the first of its kind in Australia.

“The QESH is a series of fast-charging electric vehicle stations that make it possible to drive an EV from the state’s southern border to the far north,” Bailey says.

“We knew our vision was ambitious, but this shift is happening around the world and unfortunately Australia is lagging behind.

“We want Queensland to be at the forefront of these changes.”

The fast-charging stations are available for use at no cost for the initial phase of the super highway.

Visit this LINK for a copy of Queensland’s EV strategy and further information on QESH.