Chargefox opens the Southern Hemisphere’s most powerful EV charging station in Melbourne.

Chargefox, Australia’s only public ultra-rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging network, has further expanded with the opening of the most powerful EV charging station in the southern hemisphere at Westfield Airport West, Melbourne.

The fourth and largest ultra-rapid charging station on the Chargefox network, it offers four x 350kW ultra-rapid and two x 50kW fast chargers just 20kms from Melbourne’s CBD. The state-of-the-art ultra- rapid chargers are capable of charging up to 350kW and can charge four cars simultaneously, delivering up to 400km of charge in 15 mins (or 200km of charge in 8 mins), while the two 50kW fast chargers can deliver 60km per 15 minutes.

Marty Andrews, Chargefox CEO, said, “Our aim is to make EV charging as fast and easy as possible for all Australians, and we’re excited to be leading the way in delivering state-of-the-art infrastructure backed by renewable energy, like at this site. We’re transforming Australia from a global laggard to a leader in transport innovation, and part of this is future proofing our technology and infrastructure for many years to come.”

Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio said, “The Victorian Labor Government strongly supports the growth of electric vehicles and we’re very pleased to be supporting the installation of electric vehicle charging points near our highways, such as Airport West.

These points are vital to help people and businesses make longer, cleaner and more environmentally sustainable journeys in their electric vehicles.”

Today, Chargefox has over 300 public charging plugs in operation, and processes over 4,000 charging sessions per month. With four ultra-rapid stations now operational along the east coast, and an additional 18 in development around Australia, the Chargefox public network will soon connect Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Cairns. Additional sites in Western Australia and Tasmania will be also be live before the end of 2019. All 22 ultra-rapid sites are backed by renewable energy, with solar panels and batteries on site to facilitate charging via solar energy wherever possible.

Andrews continues, “This year has already been a milestone year for Chargefox. We have four ultra- rapid stations open along the East Coast, all backed by renewable energy. We’re working closely with car manufacturers to build technology that benefits their drivers, and we’ve partnered with the Queensland government to manage and incorporate the Queensland Electric Super Highway into the Chargefox network.”

Bryce Prosser, RACV General Manager Public Policy, said, “The new charging station in Westfield Airport West is a significant milestone for Chargefox and our members, as it allows more and more Victorians to travel with greater confidence in their electric vehicles. A reliable and rapid electric vehicle charging network is critical to enable owners and drivers to travel long distances between cities without worrying about either running out of charge or spending hours waiting for a recharge.”

Andrews concludes, “The next six months for us are going to be very exciting with the remaining ultra- rapid stations on the Chargefox network opening, making it possible for Australian’s to travel around the country safe in the knowledge that they can charge quickly and reliably along the way.”

Editor’s Notes Chargefox is the biggest and fastest growing open charging network in Australia for modern EVs. It has been operating charging stations across Australia and New Zealand for 18 months and has managed more than 32,000 charging sessions on over 800 plugs across Australia and New Zealand, dispensing a total of over 250MWh of electricity for drivers via it’s iPhone and Android mobile apps – that’s enough electricity to power the average household for five decades.

Chargefox is an investment by the Australian Mobility Clubs (NRMA, RACV, RACQ, RAC, RAA and RACT) through their subsidiary Australian Motoring Services, Wilson Transformers and the founder of Carsales, Greg Roebuck. It is supported with grants from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and the Victorian Government.

Chargefox’s multiple partnerships with car manufacturers mean that Australians can confidently purchase an EV backed by the Chargefox network.

The freely available Chargefox app also helps users easily find, use and pay for charging across hundreds of stations in Australia and New Zealand.

Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) – Chargefox received funding from ARENA as part of ARENA’s Advancing Renewables Program. The views expressed herein are not necessarily the views of the Australian Government, and the Australian Government does not accept responsibility for any information or advice contained herein.

Technical Details

In Melbourne, Chargefox has installed four Australian made ultra-rapid Tritium Veefill PK 350kW chargers, which can deliver up to 400km of charge in 15 mins (or 200km of charge in 8 mins), as well as two 50 kW DC Tritium Veefil-RT fast chargers which can deliver 60 km per 15 minutes.

Chargers are equipped with both CHAdeMO and CCS2 plug types making them suitable for all current and future EVs, including Tesla when used with an adapter, excluding only low range AC-only EVs.

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