THE future of motoring will inch slightly closer to Shepparton when new electric vehicle (EV) charging bays go operational in Shepparton and Mooroopna by April.
Two 50kw DC charging bays will be installed in Fraser Street, Shepparton, and two 25kw DC bays in McLennan Street, Mooroopna, allowing EV drivers to power up.
Currently in Greater Shepparton, Dookie’s Tallis Winery has a Tesla charger, and four charging bays have been installed at the new SAM. Belstack Strawberry Farm in Kialla West has also received funding to install one charging bay. Council also has two charging stations to charge two of their EVs.
Electric Vehicle ownership in Australia is still in its nascent stages, making up only 1 percent of all car sales – or 6718 cars – sold in the country in 2020. This compares to about 140,000 EVs sold in Norway in 2020 – 54 percent of the market.
However, electric cars are undeniably the future of motoring. A typical electric vehicle charged using the average Australian electricity grid generates about 40 percent fewer emissions than a petrol-powered car with an internal combustion engine, a recent Queensland University of Technology study found.
Plus, with virtually no engine maintenance required and the cost of charging an electric car battery the equivalent of about 40 cents per litre for fuel, the running costs of an electric car are low compared to a petrol car.
The new charging stations in Shepparton and Mooroopna will literally put the twin cities ‘on the map’ of where fast charging stations can be found. Currently, the closest charge stations are in Euroa, Avenel and Bendigo.
