Delivery of the Queensland Electric Highway project may be happening far sooner than initially expected, with the Queensland Government outlining an expected project completion date of December 17 for the initial 18 fast-recharge sites which will make the highway feasible.
This is exciting news for the owners for some 34,000 registered electric cars across Queensland, as these sites will make travel up and down the state’s coast more easily accessible.
Steven Miles, Environment Minister and Acting Main Roads Minister for Queensland, believes that the highway project may also have huge implications in creating a boom in demand for electric vehicles in Queensland, especially when improved battery technology and cost reductions are taken into account.
"The most recent Queensland Household Energy Survey showed that 50% of Queenslanders will consider an electric vehicle, plug-in hybrid or regenerative braking hybrid, when purchasing a new car in the next two years and that majority said improvements to public fast-charging infrastructure would further tempt them into purchasing an EV,” Mr Miles said.
The soon-to-be-delivered rapid recharge stations will reportedly be able to fully charge an electric vehicle in around 30 minutes, and will be rolled out up the Queensland coast, stretching from the Gold Coast up to Cairns. In a great incentive for potential electric vehicle buyers, use of these stations will initially carry no charge.
At this stage, the proposed sites for these charging stations are Cairns, Tully, Townsville, Bowen, Mackay, Carmila, Marlborough, Rockhampton, Miriam Vale, Childers, Maryborough, Cooroy, Brisbane, Helensvale, Coolangatta, Springfield, Gatton and Toowoomba.
Electric Vehicle Council CEO Behyad Jafari said the investment in the Queensland Electric Highway was an exciting step in the right direction, as it showed that the Queensland Government was serious about the industry.
"I encourage all governments across Australia to follow suit, particularly as this support will help to provide motorists with increased choice of cars that are cheaper and healthier to operate," Mr Jafari said.