With Australians pushing for more infrastructure to support the adoption of electric vehicles (EV), a new 22-kilowatt electric charging station is now operational in Anna Bay.

The new public charging station is located at the gates of Latitude One community and Ingenia Communities Senior Project Manager Craig Shepherd said the installation was part of Ingenia’s innovation initiatives.

“We are constantly looking at new ideas that will benefit the greater community and the EV charging station has been installed as part of our sustainability and environmental development goals, which also includes solar energy for all Ingenia Lifestyle homes, storm water systems and home insulation,” Mr Shepherd said.

“We’ve installed a 22-kilowatt dual charging station which means two vehicles can be charged simultaneously without any power degradation. Drivers can also use cashless and contactless payment options for convenience.

“This is something that anyone in the community or passersby can enjoy, not just for our Ingenia Lifestyle residents – we wanted to make sure anyone with an EV could benefit from this initiative.”

EVs are expected to account for 70−100 percent of new vehicle sales by 2040[1] , but research from Infrastructure Australia[2]  has found that many Australian motorists are currently deterred from buying EVs due to a lack of necessary EV infrastructure.

Latitude One resident Brian George has been driving an EV for the last 18 months and said the new charging station will be a welcome addition to encourage more people to buy EVs.

“I hope that an increase in charging stations will encourage people to drive electric cars. Especially because drivers won’t have to worry about being caught out without a nearby charging station on long trips,” Mr George said.

“EVs are a fantastic advancement on the vehicles we’ve been used to; and the performance is much better than an internal combustion engine.

“The emissions of an EV are zero, which is one of the main reasons that I looked into getting one in the first place.”

The new charging station at Latitude One will be available to service the wider Nelson Bay area for residents, visitors and any EV drivers passing through the area.

[1] Infrastructure Australia, 2020, National electric vehicle fast-charging network

[2] Infrastructure Australia, 2020, Infrastructure Priority List: Project and Initiative Summaries