NSW treasurer Matt Kean is hoping electric vehicle fans will vote Liberal at next month’s state election, pledging to install 30,000 chargers across NSW by 2026 if they win the election.
More importantly, the Coalition government is pledging to reform a major pain point for urban EV users by reforming strata laws to make it easier to install chargers in apartment blocks.
For public transport users, the Perrottet government is planning EV chargers in commuter carparks at train, bus and ferry stations, alongside streamlining planning laws to make it easier to instal chargers on power poles and parking meters
Kean said more than one million EVs are expected to hit NSW roads by 2030, so the government is already investing $209 million in the state’s charging network.
“We want all drivers to be able to recharge whenever and wherever they need to, whether it’s on a road trip, commuting to work or at home,” Mr Kean said.
The 30,000 EV chargers will be more than twice the number of existing petrol pumps in NSW. There are currently around 1000.
Planning and homes minister Anthony Roberts said 30% of drivers can’t access off-street parking and will rely on public chargers, while fair trading minister Victor Dominello said they want to develop “Right to Charge” strata reforms, so where apartment owners are willing to pay the cost, requests to install EV chargers cannot be unreasonably refused.
“These reforms will make it as easy as possible for people living in one of the 84,000 apartment buildings in NSW to install a charger, without passing on unfair costs to other residents,” he said.
Other current NSW government incentives for would-be EV owners include no stamp duty on EVs under $78,000, $3,000 rebates for EVs under $68,750, and allowing EVs to drive in transit lanes
Electric Vehicle Council CEO Behyad Jafari endorsed the government’s plans saying they made NSW one of the country for EV users.
“We know new apartment buildings will support EV charging, but we also need to consider the hundreds of thousands of existing apartments and this is where ‘Right To Charge’ laws will be vital. Apartment owners who are willing to pay the cost of installation should not have their requests easily knocked back by strata committees,” he said.
“The Electric Vehicle Council’s most recent policy report card rated NSW as the highest performing state for EV-supportive policies and we are extremely pleased to see the trajectory continuing.”
NSW voters head to the ballot boxes on Saturday, March 25.
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