After passing an intensive array of wind farms alongside the escarpment, the glowing tower of a photo voltaic thermal array was the primary signal that we have been approaching Port Augusta.
Right here we have been, surrounded by proof of South Australia’s extremely profitable integration of renewables into the grid but my associate mused that EV charging was truly higher crossing the Nullarbor than in regional SA.
We have been on the return leg of a 12,600km journey from Perth to Sydney in an ordinary vary RWD Tesla Mannequin Y, following the minor roads alongside the coasts of NSW, Victoria and SA, together with Kangaroo Island and the Eyre Peninsula.
The Nullarbor leg was comparatively simple, with crowd funded DC chargers (together with the marvellous Biofil fish’n’chips unit) between Balladonia and Madura, and the three section 32A plugs put in by AEVA/TOCA at Eucla BV, Nullarbor and Penong.
Timing is every part. Once we first went via there have been no DC chargers on the 1,550km major route between Madura in WA and Damaged Hill in NSW. This added to the sense of journey however is about to considerably change. Extra on that later.
We charged in regional SA nearly totally in a single day from 10/15A GPOs, other than Tesla vacation spot chargers at Ceduna, Port Augusta and Port Lincoln accomodation.
Vary nervousness compelled us inland twice to make use of the Tesla Superchargers at Mt Gambier and Tailem Bend. It was all manageable however was in stark distinction to the virtually faultless NRMA charging community throughout regional NSW, together with tiny locations like Wilcannia.
The measure of NRMA’s help for decarbonised transport is that they’ve rolled out such a effectively deliberate community and have additionally been been ready till now to supply free charging for all EVs. How may or not it’s {that a} renewable power exemplar like SA could possibly be 5 years behind on EV charging infrastructure?