There are four new electric vehicle chargers available in Ballarat, part of a network stretching from Adelaide to Brisbane.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Chargefox chargers, Australian-made, have been installed at the Big W car park off Curtis Street, are compatible with most modern electric vehicles.
Chargefox chief executive and co-founder Marty Andrews said Ballarat was a "stepping stone" between Melbourne and Adelaide.
"Ballarat's a good spot, you want to be not far from the highway, but also near facilities, shops and places people can go for something to eat, and bathrooms," he explained.
"It's not a highway service station on the side of the road, but Ballarat's a big enough town that people would stop on the way anyway.
"Once you're in town, it's about facilities and having access to the right power - a spot that has sufficient power available to set up the charging stations."
The chargers would use renewable energy, and are supported by the RACV and the Victorian government through the Department of Environment, Land, Water, and Planning.
"When you talk about targets on emissions, transport always plays a big part in that, and (Victorian Energy) Minister Lily D'Ambrosio is a massive advocate for emission reductions, and one of the strongest leading ministers in the country," Mr Andrews said.
"This will help stimulate the uptake of electric vehicles, so let's get these things up and running - we've got one open in Keith (in South Australia) and have plans for Horsham."
While Chargefox has recorded 6000 users for its app-driven chargers, and about 10,000 sessions per month, Mr Andrews echoed calls to stay at home over Easter.
"We're trying to support people who need to charge, some people can't charge at home and rely on the network to charge their cars, but don't go out and drive on long road trips," he said.
"We're there if you need us, but please stay home."
The four new chargers are the second set in Ballarat - in Wendouree, four Tesla superchargers have been installed in a Gillies Street car park.
Ballarat's Stuart Benjamin has been driving electric vehicles for three years - he said the new chargers will help tourists in the future, and commercial fleets.
"This is part of us developing the new infrastructure network to be able to support a renewable-fuelled transport system," he said.
"(It's) also potentially of great benefit to commercial vehicles, we have a number in the region - for example, Hepburn Shire are transferring all their work vehicles to electric - the ability for a driver to come in and buy their lunch, charge and come back, potentially half an hour later and have another 400km (range) for no effort, is a game-changer for how we change our economy to electric vehicles."
He said the new chargers, part of an independent network and available to all electric vehicle drivers,
"The main criticisms people have are range and charging time, but you can now buy an electric vehicle with 640km range as standard, and with rapid chargers, 120km in five minutes is pretty impressive," he said.
"If you can get 300km in 15 minutes, it's not far off petrol speed, and at a fraction of the cost with zero environmental impact."
The full list of Chargefox sites, and the technical details, can be found online.
Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.