EV charging etiquette key as more electric cars hit roads this summer

AS holiday-makers visit the Alpine Shire for their summer holidays, visitors will be able to access charging stations for their electric vehicles (EV) at at least 20 different locations around the region. Spencer Larard, manager of the Harrietville Hotel, said their guests with EVs seemed to be happy with the charging station on site. "The Harrietville Hotel has had an EV charger for approximately six or seven years now," he said. "I've noticed when we're full that there are usually two or three guests with EVs. "They're able to use the charger for free, but other drivers can also use it for a small fee and we've never had a problem with it." Assistant manager of the Golden Leaf Hotel in Myrtleford, Goran Todorobic said new visitors with EVs are welcome to use their charger. "Tourist traffic has been really good over the Christmas break," Mr Todorobic said. "However, we haven't noticed a lot of guests using the charging station on site; most of them have normal cars. "We've had the charging station for two or three years now; it's a smaller, domestic EV charger which anyone who stays with us is free to use. "However, often customers prefer to go down to the Happy Valley Pub in Ovens to use their Superchargers, which are a bit faster." The Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) has issued advice on charging etiquette these summer holidays as a record number of EVs hit the roads. Nearly one in 10 new car sales are electric vehicles (BEVs and PHEVs), with more than 100,000 added to the road this year. To keep up with growing demand, the number of locations offering fast and ultra-fast chargers has nearly doubled in a year, reaching 1059 locations nationwide with over 1849 high-power public chargers. “Australians love a summer road trip, and more of them than ever before will now be clocking up the kilometres in electric cars," EVC head of legal, policy and advocacy, Aman Gaur said. “Luckily, the public charging network is growing to keep up with demand. "Over the past year, the number of public chargers and their locations has nearly doubled across the country, with more public and private investment in the pipeline to expand this further in the new year. “Charging this summer is set to be smoother than ever, thanks to more public chargers in more places and a maturing EV charging sector that has overcome initial challenges. "Years ago, EV drivers in need of charging faced a bumpy road, largely due to COVID-related supply chain disruptions that impacted the availability of spare parts. “More EVs on our roads is a good thing, making summer holidays as cheap as possible and reducing pollution in our communities. "For many, this will be their first holiday road trip behind the wheel of an EV, navigating the best ways to recharge along the way." Top tips for EV charging etiquette: 1. Leave home with a full charge and charge up at the place you're staying before you head home. This will reduce the amount you need to use public fast chargers, and create more availability for others. 2. Check with your accommodation provider about charging there and if they don’t have a policy around EV charging, offer to pay a bit more. The ability to charge where you’re staying is a huge convenience; it’s only fair that the driver offers to cover the small uptick in the accommodation provider’s electricity bill. 3. Don’t overstay your charge. When you’re using public chargers, take what you need, then make space for the next driver, especially if there’s a queue. Topping up to 80% will take a lot less time than filling all the way to 100 per cent, because the charging rate slows down as the vehicle battery gets close to full. 4. Be kind. If someone needs help understanding how it works, offer to lend a hand. 5. Look after the charging equipment. Put the charging equipment back as you found it to avoid damage and for the next person’s ease. If the unit is damaged or impaired, report it immediately to the charge point operator.

EV charging etiquette key as more electric cars hit roads this summer

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