Tasmania switches on to EV fast charging

Tasmania’s first publicly-available DC fast charger has been switched on in the City of Launceston.

The Veefil-RT 50kW DC fast charger, provided by Brisbane-based Tritium, can add 80% charge in 30 minutes and is free to use until July 2019.

Drivers will now be able to complete the round trip from Launceston to Hobart with a single charge at the Launceston site, in Paterson St East car park.

“The installation of Tritium’s DC fast charger is an important first step in unlocking electric vehicle usage in the state of Tasmania,” Launceston mayor Albert van Zetten says. “The rise of electric vehicles is important for the state as the zero-emission driving capabilities of EVs ensures we can keep our biggest asset – our air and environment – clean for tourists.”

It’s also expected to eliminate range anxiety for the state’s growing number of EV drivers.

The charger uses a Chademo or CCS2 socket which will accommodate most makes and models of EVs available in Australia.

The new infrastructure is also expected to encourage EV uptake as a lack of public charging was identified in an early report as being among the barriers.

“It’s been proven time and time again across the world that building charging infrastructure leads to an increase in EV uptake, and the City of Launceston is leading the way in enabling an EV future in Tasmania,” Tritium Australia/New Zealand sales head Chris Hewitt says.