Knox City Council has entered an agreement to install more fast charging stations across the municipality, with the first to be located at Station Street, Ferntree Gully.
Planned to be rolled out in early 2023, the JOLT EV charging stations, the company’s first entry into the Victorian EV market, are being installed at no cost to the council and will also be the first seven kilowatt hours — around 15 to 20 minutes charging time — each day to be free. Beyond this, it will cost around 46c per kilowatt hour.
Knox Mayor Marcia Timmers-Leitch said the agreement will provide up to seven public faster chargers at shopping centres in Knox.
“We hope that more fast charging stations in Knox will attract new visitors to our local shopping centres and help people make the transition to electric cars,” she said.
“On-road transport accounts for 13% of emissions in Knox. More charging stations will support and encourage people to choose zero-emissions transport and help our community achieve net zero emissions by 2040 as set out in our Climate Response Plan.”
Jolt Commercial Partnerships Manager Steve McLennan said research shows customers prefer to charge cars while visiting shops or other services.
“EV chargers attract new, regular visitors to the area, which is great for local businesses. We’ve had customers tell us they’ve changed their shopping habits based purely on the presence of an EV charger,” he said.
“Some of the key inhibitors of people transitioning to an electric car include ‘range anxiety’ and not knowing where they’re going to be able to charge, along with the costs. By delivering free charging we aim to reduce the concern that people have of not knowing where they’ll be able to charge and support them with the transition to a zero-emissions vehicle.”
More information on the location of the other charging stations will be announced soon, according to the council.
