Watts up: Maitland Council accelerates local EV uptake with new charging stations added to network

Maitland City Council has unveiled new grant-funded electric vehicle charging stations, in a bid to broaden its network of public charging infrastructure at key destinations. 

Ten car spaces at four Council owned sites across the local government area – Thornton Library, Gillieston Heights Community Hub, The Levee’s Riverside car park, and Maitland Town Hall – are now fitted with 22kW charging stations thanks to $60,600 in funding received under round two of the Drive Electric NSW EV Destination Charging Grants program. 

The NSW Government funding was complemented by $40,400 in Council funds, bringing the the total project cost to $101,000. 

The five chargers at four sites operate on a ‘user pays’, cost-recovery model and will output between 7 and 22kW AC, which typically adds around 100km of range for a two-hour charge. They are complemented by two existing chargers at Harold Gregson Reserve, which were installed in 2023, bringing Maitland’s tally of Council-owned EV car spaces to 14. 

Maitland Deputy Mayor Cr Bill Hackney said ‘uptake of electric vehicles had accelerated in recent years’, with 77,000 EV and 9,500 plug-in hybrid EV drivers in New South Wales and over 300,000 nationwide. 

‘Maitland Council is eager to keep pace with this growth and broaden the charging options that are available to both local EV owners and those coming from out of town, who are often looking to stop and power up on their way through. 

‘EV chargers come with a host of benefits; many EV owners will map out long journeys based on where chargers are situated and visit nearby businesses while charging their vehicles. 

‘We’ve factored this into the equation when considering potential sites for these chargers and looked at positioning them near businesses and attractions in our central business district, or in locations where there is currently a scarcity of options, like Thornton or Gillieston Heights, and to complement investment in EV chargers made by businesses in Rutherford, Central and East Maitland.

‘In April last year, Council passed a resolution to identify opportunities to expand its network of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and I’m pleased to see that goal come full circle today, with the wraps coming off these four charging sites.’ 

Maitland Council’s four new charging sites complement recent investment from established charge point operators such as the NRMA, who are delivering fast chargers in Maitland’s CBD that can charge at a rate of up to 350kW, supported by the NSW Drive Electric Fast Charger grant program. 

Maitland City Council Manager Environment and Sustainability Catherine Pepper said Council was taking ‘great strides’ towards the targets and actions outlined in its Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2030. 

‘We’re committed to increasing active and sustainable transport opportunities for residents,’ she said. ‘This includes exploring opportunities to work with industry partners and identifying further grant opportunities that can help us bolster the diversity of EV charging options across Maitland.’

Maitland was recently featured on Destination NSW’s list of nine EV-friendly road trips, as part of its ‘Recharge Here’ marketing campaign.

More information on electric vehicle charging station owned and operated by Maitland City Council can be found at mait.city/EVCI.