Ross De Rango, from the Electric Vehicle Council explains the challenges and solutions for installing EV chargers in apartment buildings while addressing common misconceptions about EV fire safety and implementation costs.
- Electric Vehicle Council works on policy advocacy, industry development, and facilitating connections between stakeholders
- About 10.5% of Australians (2.6 million people) live in approximately 1.2 million apartment dwellings
- Apartment EV charging faces unique challenges including common property issues and electrical capacity limitations
- Approval processes vary by state with different voting thresholds (50% in NSW, 75% in Queensland and Victoria)
- Solutions range from simple power points ($4,000 for eight parking bays) to comprehensive building-wide systems
- EVs are far less likely to catch fire than petrol/diesel vehicles, with Fire Rescue NSW responding to seven vehicle fires daily
- Apartment buildings that don't support EV charging will likely see reduced property values and rental yields
- Vehicle-to-grid technology will allow EVs to support the energy grid and help phase out fossil fuel power plants
- By 2030, electric vehicles will likely represent 10-15% of vehicles on Australian roads
Find out more at solarchoice.net.au and stay tuned for our next episode in two weeks.