There are now more than 150,000 drivers using the Chargefox platform every month to recharge their cars. From Broome to Busselton, across to Adelaide, down to Bruny Island, and up to Port Douglas, all across the country people are getting from A to B using Chargefox.

‍Here is the story of driving and charging an EV from Peter, just one of the thousands upon thousands of Aussies using Chargefox every month.

My Melbourne to Perth return EV holiday!‍

I recently completed a cross-country 9,700km road trip in our almost 5-year-old, Tesla Model 3 long-range. It wasn’t a race across the Nullarbor and back, nor was it a trip spent queuing or waiting to recharge.

We enjoyed exploring all the same great remote locations that you would access in a petrol car.

For the interest, and encouragement of others, what follows is my trip summary, a review of the EV charging experience and costs, some of the challenges, and 8 key recommendations based on what I learnt along the way.

The trip

This adventure was shared with my friend Eric driving from Melbourne, my wife Fiona when I was in and around Perth, and I was joined by my son on the return leg.

Stops en-route included:

• The Eyre Peninsula, SA
• Fowlers Bay, SA
• Esperance, WA
• Stirling Ranges, WA;
• Wave Rock, WA
• and Margaret River, WA

Driving to and from Perth we slept under the stars for 7 of the 13 nights. Our favourite camping spots were Mambray Creek,  Coffin Bay and Speeds Point (amongst sand dunes) in South Australia. In WA our picks were Baxters Rest Area off-road camp (between Cocklebiddy and Balladonia), and Mt Trio Bush Camp .

Charging experience and costs

The majority of the trip utilised DC chargers with pricing typically between $0.60 to $0.74 per kWh. At the remote off-grid Nullarbor roadhouses, the rates were $2/kWh. Remarkably, the NRMA 30kW solar-powered charger with battery/diesel back-up at the Nullarbor Roadhouse was free!

We also had some opportunistic and gratefully free hotel destination charging at the Comfort Inn Motel Esperance WA, Pulman Resort Bunker Bay WA, and the Clare Valley Motel SA. For comparative reference, Nullarbor petrol prices were up to $2.75/L.

The total charged energy was 1,713 kWh costing $937.
In all, we averaged slightly less than $0.10/km.

The regional EV DC charging networks ,including those available on Chargefox provided by RAA, WA EV Network, and NRMA, as well as Tesla, provided convenient, reliable and easy charging from Melbourne to the Nullarbor Roadhouse and subsequently from Norseman via the south coast to Perth.

In between the Nullarbor Roadhouse and Norseman is a 900+ kilometre gap covered by the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) 22kW DC chargers. 

Our only car trouble was a chipped/cracked windscreen from a stone hit in Margaret River. Fortunately, Tesla in Perth replaced it with just two days' notice and it was covered by our RACV insurance with glass replacement. The visit to Tesla also included a timely tyre rotation.

It’s worth noting our last vehicle service was in 2023, and the next is scheduled for late 2025. Apart from tyre costs (averaging $0.05/km), our lifetime EV servicing and parts costs have totalled just $967 over 5 years. Transport-wise, I think this was a cheap way to holiday.

‍The Challenges

‍Given our car’s age and distance travelled, the original 75kWh battery now has an effective 100% capacity of 68kWh (-10% from new and within spec). The trip overall was doable in our long-range EV, but we were challenged by the 900+ kilometre (plus side trips) between the Nullarbor Roadhouse and Norseman which has limited charging infrastructure. In particular, our 386km+ stretch of no charge driving into a 12km headwind in both directions between Madura and the Nullarbor Roadhouse was tighter than expected. In each instance, we arrived as estimated with 1% charge remaining, whereas with a newer EV, we would have had ~10% remaining.

Critically, I wasn’t aware of 3-phase 32A AC plug options at Mundrabilla and Border Village, which assuming the plugs worked with my charge adapter (not guaranteed), could have provided some top-up charge.

Up to 20% of our travels had no mobile network coverage, so you need to be prepared to deal with limited electronic navigation information, phone reception and internet access.

Even without connectivity, Tesla’s energy management system worked as expected, including occasional recommended driving speeds at 90 – 95 km/h to reach our destination.

Excitingly this epic EV journey is about to become much much easier😊.

The Chargefox app now shows new fast DC chargers owned and operated by WA EV Network, under construction at Madura, Calguna and Balladonia, and one is already open in Mundrabilla.

Recommendations

Know your real range.
This means considering the car’s age and total distance driven, the impacts of weather, and extra luggage/passengers. Treat any quoted reserve range below 0% as a fortunate bonus (if needed).
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Don’t forget your cables and adapters
While we practically didn't need any of these options on this trip, they have been useful at other times. Items to consider include 10A/15A single-phase, 32A 3-phase, type-1 to type-2 adapter, and type-2 cables. 
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Install and set up all relevant EV charging apps before you go.
Including Chargefox (of course), Tesla, and PlugShare. Make sure to configure appropriate filters etc. I forgot to add 32A 3-phase, so I missed potentially important backup stops in Mundrabilla (now upgraded) and Border Village.
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‍Ensure you have a reliable mobile network provider that operates in remote parts of Australia.
For example, my network did not have mobile coverage at the RAA charger available on Chargefox in Streaky Bay, SA. A Chargefox RFID card would have been a useful alternative backup.
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Beware of the time changes, which can vary by device or not happen at all.
‍Parts of Western Australia follow "Central Western" time and are 45 minutes ahead of Perth. On the return trip, we arrived at the Nullarbor Roadhouse much later than expected and just missed the 8pm last orders for food.
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Ensure you have a spare wheel and tool kit suitable for your vehicle.
‍We also had a tyre repair kit and pump. We didn’t need them on this trip, but I'm glad we had the backup, just in case.
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Make sure your vehicle service is up to date.
‍At my request, Tesla pre-emptively replaced our 12V battery (which lasts about 4 - 5 years), avoiding any foreseeable failure in the middle of nowhere.
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Ensure your EV's roadside assistance has national coverage and can provide help and towing in the most remote places if necessary.
‍Our complimentary Tesla roadside service finished after 4 years of ownership, and so we opted for RACV Total Care. It’s also worth having glass/windscreen coverage included with your insurance.

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I hope others find this interesting, useful and maybe motivating to do the same. I wish everyone safe and happy travels!

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