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Update

27 October 2023
Following the consultation process and approval from the respective Councils’ Traffic Committees, the following locations have been selected as potential sites for the installation of EV street pole chargers under this pilot program:

20 Clovelly Rd, Randwick NSW 2031, Australia

Opposite 165 Oberon St, Coogee NSW 2034, Australia

Opposite 170 Beach St, Coogee NSW 2034, Australia

Opposite 56 Marine Pde, Maroubra NSW 2035, Australia

46 Dutruc St, Randwick NSW 2031, Australia

Cnr Roma Ave and Doncaster Ave, Kensington NSW 2033, Australia

45-49 Harbourne Rd, Kingsford NSW 2032, Australia

8 Soudan St, Randwick NSW 2031, Australia

King St, on side of 16 Bennett St, Bondi NSW 2026, Australia

Opposite 137 Bronte Rd, Queens Park NSW 2022, Australia

Opposite 34 MacPherson St, Bronte NSW 2024, Australia

37-39 O'Donnell St, North Bondi NSW

Opposite 66 Queens Park Rd, Queens Park NSW 2022, Australia

1 Warners Ave, North Bondi NSW 2026

50 Wiley St, Waverley NSW 2024, Australia

Opposite 73A Murriverie Rd, North Bondi NSW 2026, Australia

100A Bellevue Rd, Bellevue Hill NSW 2023, Australia

27 Campbell Ave, Paddington NSW 2021, Australia

Opposite 1 Quarry St, Paddington NSW 2021, Australia

23A Roylston St, Paddington NSW 2021, Australia

174 Sutherland St, Paddington NSW 2021, Australia

7 Laguna St, Vaucluse NSW 2030, Australia

186 Hopetoun Ave, Watsons Bay NSW 2030, Australia

23 Military Rd, Watsons Bay NSW 2030, Australia

Side of 71 Adelaide St, Woollahra NSW 2025 (on Fletcher St)

3 Trelawney St, Woollahra NSW 2025, Australia

Background

The numbers of Electric Vehicles (EVs) on our roads is rapidly increasing as more affordable models enter the market and Federal and State Government provide incentives to lower the cost. There are currently 2,100 EVs on the road in the Eastern Suburbs with this number set to double year on year.

The growing demand for these cleaner, more efficient vehicles has led to greater demands for publicly available EV charging infrastructure. This is especially the case in the Eastern Suburbs which is a hotspot for EV uptake and where more than 60% of residents live in multi-unit dwellings or rent. Many of these residents do not have access to garages or car ports to charge their vehicles.

In August 2021, Randwick, Waverley and Woollahra Councils undertook a community survey to seek feedback the attitudes and knowledge of EV charging across the Eastern Suburbs. Most respondents (86%) were supportive of councils providing or facilitating more public EV charging stations, with 8% opposed and 6% unsure. Of those that supported the rollout of more EV charging infrastructure, most respondents said they would like to see chargers in carparks that are open to the public and on the street.

Street Pole Charging Trial

As EV usage grows, Waverley, Woollahra and Randwick Councils are looking to trial a number of new EV charging technologies.

In December 2021, our Councils were selected to be part of an Australian first pilot of street pole charging, led by Intellihub, with funding from the Australian Government's Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

The Pilot Program aims to assess the viability of using existing power poles for EV charging to minimise the need for extra on street charging infrastructure. It is estimated that one power pole charger could service 10 households which do not currently have access to off street parking.

The pilot involves installing 50 EV chargers across Council areas around NSW and runs for 12 months at zero cost to Council. More information on the pilot can be found here.

Each site will have a single EV charger mounted to the power pole with an electrical board above. A single parking spot would be converted to a designated Electric Vehicle Only parking space. Users will pay to use the chargers via an App.

At the end of the 12 month trial there is the opportunity for the chargers to become permanent, subject to Council approval.

Proposed sites are shown on the map.

Electric Vehicle Charging

Street Pole Electric Vehicle Charging Station Example (Source Intellihub 2023)

Share Your Feedback

Your feedback is important to us and we’ll use it to help determine whether there is local support for the proposed EV charging locations. There are three methods to provide feedback including using the map below, via email or post.

You can also provide feedback via:

  • Email

    REP@waverley.nsw.gov.au

  • Via Post

    PO Box 9, Bondi Junction NSW 1355

Timeline for the program:

Consultation will remain open until the 10th of August 2023.

Following consultation the next steps are:

  • August 2023: Council's Traffic Committee will make a recommendation on the sites for Council approval.
  • August - December 2023: Installation of approved chargers by Intellihub
  • December 2024: 12 month trial period ends

Street Pole Chargers

Example of Street Pole Chargers

FAQs

Charging station locations are selected to maximise usage and community benefit. Some of the following factors are considered when selecting sites:

  • Access to nearby beaches, parks and shops.
  • Proximity of apartment buildings or dwellings without off-street parking.
  • Availability of electrical infrastructure (such as suitable wooden power poles), parking spaces, lighting and footpath space.
  • Locations of other public charging stations.

Intellihub are primarily installing and facilitating the installation of 22 kW AC chargers on street poles. These chargers require drivers to bring their own Type 2 cables (readily available online or from EV dealers).

Electric vehicles will typically accept between 7 and 11 kW of charging from AC chargers (check your electric vehicle’s specifications to find your AC charge rate). An electric vehicle charging at 11 kW will gain around 60 km of range per hour.

The chargers will be available for anyone to use. Users will have to pay to use the charger with the prices set by Intellihub

Electric vehicle charging spaces are for electric vehicles only while charging, meaning the only vehicles which can park here are electric vehicles which are plugged in.

Based on existing chargers, restrictions currently vary between 2-4 hours. The time limit on these chosen parks will be decided alongside the traffic committee following the process of community consultation

Non electric vehicles (or electric vehicles not charging) which are parked in these spaces could incur a fine (Disobey No Parking). Charging is demonstrated by the charging cable being connected from the vehicle to the charge station.

If you do encounter the wrong vehicle parked in this space, prohibiting EVs to park and charge, you can report it to your Council.

There will be no removal of parking spaces, only a change in the parking restriction. The parking spaces are for EVs only while charging and have a time restriction, to force a turnover of EVs.

Each EV charging station to be connected directly to the overhead electricity supply.

The electricity retailer is providing 100% GreenPower, meaning all the energy used by the EV charges will be matched with the equivalent amount of certified renewable energy added to the grid.

Only areas where there are wooden street poles are eligible. There are larger areas in certain suburbs of Darling Point, Double Bay, Bondi Beach, Rose Bay, Watsons Bay, Woollahra, Randwick, Clovelly that have underground power and metal street poles.

Council has prioritised areas with higher densities and lack of offstreet parking.

In some areas there are multiple sites in close proximity. In these cases only one site will be chosen.

Our local road network is already congested along major corridors in peak periods and more car-based travel is not a desirable outcome. Council will encourage decarbonisation of the transport sector, based on the transport hierarchy which promotes the right mode for each trip purpose with people first, then bikes, then public transport, service vehicles, shared mobility (such as taxis and carshare) then finally private vehicles.

As our population grows, we also need better infrastructure for walking, cycling and public transport to reduce congestion, reduces carbon emissions and pollution and makes our neighbourhoods healthier and more liveable.

In the 3-Council region, transport is responsible for approximately 20% of all community emissions. Modelling from the Resilient Sydney platform also shows that emission reductions from EVs is the largest Council ‘intervention’ that can be taken to reduce community emissions, and that the transition to EVs is predicted to reduce the emissions of the Eastern Suburbs by 33% by 2050 (excluding emission reductions from grid renewables).

The number of electric vehicles on our roads is rapidly increasing as EV adoption becomes mainstream.

While most charging will occur at home or in the workplace, many residents in the Eastern Suburbs live in apartments or houses without offstreet parking. These residents, visitors and essential vehicle users like delivery or carshare drivers rely on public EV chargers.

These chargers are being installed via a grant from ARENA and financial contribution from Intellihub, at no cost to Council.

In 2019, Randwick, Waverley & Woollahra Councils were the first in NSW to establish Charging the East, a network of Council owned public charging stations. Charging the East currently consists of 16 medium (AC) and 4 fast (DC) chargers located in carparks, shopping centres and on the street. These charging stations are well used by residents and visitors with over 1,300 charging sessions recorded in March 2023.

The trial period is for 12-months, after which point the infrastructure Council will decide whether to continue to operate the chargers, license the operation to a third party or have the chargers removed and the parking restriction returned to the previous arrangement.