Fast charger for Derby cars
By Tony Scott,
November 17, 2021
There’s to be another electric vehicle charging station installed in the North-East with the aid of a State Government grant.
The Dorset Council was among the successful applicants in the latest round of ChargeSmart grants.
The grant will provide $25,000, or about half of the cost to install a fast charger unit at Derby.
Dorset General Manager Tim Watson said the other half of the installation and maintenance was to be met by Electric Highway Tasmania.
The charger will be part of the development of a car park on the site of the old Council depot at Derby, due to be completed by mid next year.
It will join a similar facility at Scottsdale, near the Art Gallery and three slower destination charging stations at private businesses at Derby and Branxholm and outside the Pavilion visitor information centre in Bridport.
Other fast chargers will be installed at George Town and Fingal along with the slower versions at Lilydale and George Town.
The Minister for Climate Change, Roger Jaensch, said an extra 20 fast charging stations and 23 publicly available destination stations made up the second round of the ChargeSmart program.
It would mean the average distance between chargers in Tasmania would be reduced to 47 kilometres, which was well within the range of the most basic electric car.
“That’s an important factor in addressing ‘range anxiety’, one of the few remaining barriers to the uptake of electric vehicles.
“The ChargeSmart 2 Grant Program complements other actions we are taking to reduce transport emissions, including our commitment to transition the Government fleet to 100% zero emissions vehicles by 2030, a two-year stamp duty waiver for EVs, two-years’ free registration for EVs for rental car companies, and our commitment to trial zero emissions Metro buses.
“We will continue to support the uptake of EVs, to drive economic growth and jobs, reduce emissions and make it easier for Tasmanians and visitors alike to be part of one of the world's first net-zero emissions economies as we reconnect our State and secure Tasmania’s future,” Mr Jaensch said.