Preparation work to soon begin on Geraldton’s electric vehicle charging bays

Preparation works will start in coming weeks for a four-bay electric vehicle charging site on Geraldton’s foreshore, which will include testing the area with ground penetrating radar.

The City of Greater Geraldton says it is on track to be part of Australia’s longest EV charging network, with the State Government’s proposed EV highway running from Perth to Kununurra, south to Eucla and east to Kalgoorlie.

It will comprise up to 98 charging stations at 49 locations to be up and running from late this year and fully operational by January 2024.

Mayor Shane Van Styn said Geraldton could not afford to miss out on the growing use of electric vehicles.

“Electric vehicles are already travelling around the State and with the installation of public charging bays, the city will automatically become an EV destination,” he said.

“After assessing locations for charging stations, some of which were ruled out due to power network constraints in certain areas, the Francis Street carpark near the 24-hour free RV bays was chosen.

“Strategically placing the EV charging stations in the CBD will create a bit of a tourism/recharging precinct by giving drivers the opportunity to stretch their legs and spend some money locally while their vehicles recharge.”

The EV network will have charging stations about every 160km as most electric cars can run between 300 and 500km in one charge, with some achieving ranges above 500km.

The installation costs are covered under the McGowan Government’s $21 million Electric Vehicle Fund for WA. The initiative is part of the State Government’s Electric Vehicle Action Plan and is key to boosting EV uptake in WA as part of the transition to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.