Transport Reports
Supercharging our Supermarkets - How Australia retailers can deliver convenient and cheap EV charging for Australia
Year - 2023 Partners - Greenpeace
In order to meet climate targets Australia must accelerate Electric Vehicle (EV) adoption and bolster charging infrastructure. EV sales in Australia are accelerating fast, with almost half of all Australian drivers willing to replace their petrol car with an electric vehicle, and two in three consider the technology the future of transportation. However, concerns about the lack of public EV infrastructure, such as charging stations and ports, risk stalling Australia’s adoption of this technology..
Australia needs to expand its public EV charging network and provide flexible options to EV owners. While initiatives like the Federal National EV Charging Network program will build along key highway routes - there is a growing need to boost the charging network in our suburbs and towns. This report unveils a program to Supercharge Our Supermarkets by installing charging infrastructure at Australia's 4000 supermarkets to:
energise up to 25,000 new charging points nationwide; installing six EV chargers at every supermarket car park in the country would nearly triple the number of charging locations across Australia
alleviate range anxiety for drivers and enhance charging accessibility
benefit supermarkets by increasing customer dwell times and provide an opportunity to offer free charging as an alternative to fuel discounts.
The initiative would also benefit the electricity grid by capitalising on existing substation capacity and aligning EV charging with peak daytime solar power generation.
Key findings of the report:
Australia lags behind the worldwide average with one public charger available for every 17 electric vehicles. Globally the average is one public charger for every 10 EVs. To address this disparity and meet the requirements of our expanding fleet, it’s crucial to boost our public charging infrastructure nationwide.
Currently, Australia’s charging locations have an average of two charging ports per station. Supercharge Our Supermarkets will boost the amount of charging locations nationwide and install an average of six charging ports at supermarket car parks across the country.
Lower wholesale energy costs during daytime hours is an opportunity to provide free and low-cost solar-powered public EV chargers that benefit both drivers and supermarkets.
The success of Supercharge Our Supermarkets relies on a coordinated effort involving Australia’s supermarkets, landlords and governments. By working together, we can boost the charging potential of our supermarkets and accelerate the rollout of this initiative.