Z Energy owner Ampol to buy Australian charging network Evie

Ampol, the Australian fuel company that owns Z Energy in New Zealand, has agreed to buy Australian charging operator Evie Networks for A$225 million.

Evie operates more than 1,030 charging bays. Added to the roughly 395 bays on Ampol’s own AmpCharge network, the deal would give Ampol about 1,425 bays across more than 400 sites, making it one of Australia’s largest public charging networks.

Ampol is buying all of Fast Cities Australia, the company that operates Evie, through its subsidiary Ampol Energy. The deal needs approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2027. Until then the two networks will run separately, and Evie says its chargers, app, accounts and loyalty programme will carry on as normal.

Ampol says charging sessions on AmpCharge rose 116% in the first half of 2026, and the energy it supplied rose 120%.

Ampol chief executive Matt Halliday says the purchase reflects “how quickly EV adoption is moving”, and that “public charging infrastructure is a precondition for broad electric vehicle adoption” in a country the size of Australia.

“EV charging is ultimately a question of disciplined investment at the right time,” he says.

Evie launched in 2017. Its principal shareholder, Trevor St Baker, was described by Ampol as “a genuine pioneer of Australia’s EV charging industry”.

The deal covers Australia only. On this side of the Tasman, Ampol-owned Z runs its own public charging network, which has mostly been built at its service stations. In June, Z opened its first destination charging site away from the forecourt, with six 120kW bays at WestCity Shopping Centre in Waitakere.