For those of us who have been excited about the idea of electric cars, but disappointed that long-distance trips were not a possibility, the news of recharge stations in regional New South Wales towns has certainly renewed our interest. This week Goulburn unveiled their new Tesla car charging station in their town, the largest such station in the Southern Hemisphere. Goulburn was considered the perfect position for commuters as it is situated on the highway between Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra. And what’s more, if you have the Tesla Model S electric car, recharging at the supercharger station is free!
Located at the Goulburn Visitor Information Centre, the 8 park facility adds to the only other standalone recharger station in Australia, situated in Sydney, and the 415 other charger stations that Tesla has already established throughout the world. A 30-minute plug-in at the station will recharge the car enough to travel another 270kms before having to use an alternate fuel. With plans for more stations in Albury-Wodonga and Gundagai by the end of the year, and along the east coast linking Melbourne to Brisbane also planned, this is the start of a very exciting future for electric car commuters.
Although electric cars have and remain quite an expensive investment, the establishment of infrastructure such as this, the mainstreaming of technology will mean that prices will come down in the future. At present, the Tesla Model S retails for about $110,000 in Australia and newer models including an SUV model are planned for release by 2020. In addition, other electric car companies will also have to establish recharge stations with connections for their own cars.
Source
Ferguson, K. 1 October, 2015. ‘Electric car battery recharging station powering up the Sydney to Melbourne highway’, accessed: 10 October, 2015.
O’Kane, T. 21 May, 2015. ‘Tesla Model S. 2015 Pricing and Features For Australia’, accessed: 10 October, 2015.
Motoring.com.au. 9 December, 2015. ‘Supercharge EV network to link East Coast’, accessed: 10 October, 2015.
Motoring.com.au. 13 April, 2015. ‘Tesla confirms Goulbourn fast-charge station’, accessed 10 October, 2015.