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Electric vehicle (EV) drivers traveling between South Australia and Western Australia will soon be able to recharge at a new 50kW fast charging site at Yalata, as RAA closes the gap in charging locations between Ceduna and the WA border.
RAA CEO Nick Reade said the site has been upgraded from its original planned capacity of 7kW to 50kW, thanks to an agreement between RAA and the South Australian government, as part of its Remote Area Energy Supply (RAES) scheme.
“Securing enough power to support fast EV charging along the far west coast has been challenging because much of it is beyond the established electricity grid, which ends just west of Ceduna,” Mr Reade said.
“The 480 kilometres from Ceduna to the Border Village has been a black spot for EV charging, and we’re very happy to have been able to find a solution for EV drivers crossing the spectacular Nullarbor.
“We are working with our platform provider Chargefox, to enable the charger at Yalata to softly ramp up to 50kW and ramp down to securely provide EV drivers with fast charging infrastructure at this critical location.
“EV drivers can already charge their battery at our 150kW rapid charging site at Ceduna which came online in February, but the new site at Yalata will give drivers the option to top up on the last stretch before heading into WA,” Mr Reade said.
Between Yalata and the border, EV drivers can charge again at an NRMA owned 75kW site at the Nullarbor Roadhouse, which was installed this year as part of a Commonwealth Government funding package to support remote regional charging.
At present the nearest EV charging site after crossing the South Australian border is located 197km from the Nullarbor Roadhouse at Eucla in Western Australia.
To complete the route from Adelaide to Perth, the WA EV Network will soon see the installation of several new fast EV chargers across the border as part of its 49-site roll-out.
The new RAA Charge site at Yalata will be built at the Yalata Roadhouse and Caravan Park which is owned by the Yalata Anangu Aboriginal Corporation, and is expected to go into construction next month.
Mr Reade said the RAA was working with the Yalata Anangu Aboriginal Corporation on the design of the site, including options for drivers towing caravans and trailers.
The Yalata site is one of the last charging sites to be built in the RAA Charge network, which comprises of 530 plugs located across more than 140 sites in South Australia, 75% of which are in regional areas.
The RAA Charge network is being rolled out with the support of the Government of South Australia and is on track to be completed this year.
EV drivers traveling in South Australia can locate their nearest charger, initiate charging, and complete payment, by using the Chargefox app.
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