Electric vehicle (EV) owners are being urged to not fully recharge their cars when out and about these holidays to improve the efficiency of the charging network.
The Electric Vehicle Council has released a range of charging etiquette tips for the summer holiday as a record number of EVs hit the roads.
Electric Vehicle Council Head of Legal, Policy and Advocacy, Aman Gaur said drivers should avoid overstaying their charge.
“When you’re using public chargers, take what you need, then make space for the next driver, especially if there’s a queue,” Mr Gaur said.
“Topping up to 80 percent will take a lot less time than filling all the way to 100 percent, because the charging rate slows down as the vehicle battery gets close to full.”
Mr Gaur said nearly one in 10 new car sales were electric vehicles, with more than 100,000 added to Australian roads this year.
He said to keep up with growing demand, the number of locations offering fast and ultra-fast chargers had nearly doubled in a year, reaching 1059 locations nationwide with over 1849 high-power public chargers.
“For many, this will be their first holiday road trip behind the wheel of an EV, navigating the best ways to charge along the way.”
He said, as well not overstaying their charge, EV drivers could consider:
- Leaving home with a full charge and charging up at the place they’re staying before heading home if they can. This will reduce the amount drivers need to use public fast chargers, and create more availability for others.
- Checking with the accommodation provider about charging there and if they don’t have a policy around EV charging, offer to pay a bit more.
- Being kind. There’s more than 100,000 new EVs on our roads this year, with some drivers set to use public fast chargers for the first time.
- Looking after the charging equipment. Put the charging equipment back as it was found to avoid damage and for the next person’s ease. If the unit is damaged or impaired, report it immediately to the charge point operator.
