NSW EV charging master plan

[moa999]

Homepage | NSW Climate and Energy Action

www.energysaver.nsw.gov.au

Released today the NSW Fast Charging Master Plan.
Contains a very interesting interactive tool estimating demand and showing major power infrastructure.

Creating a new thread as this is seemingly no longer just a NRMA project, particularly given the recent Arena funding for city chargers.

 

[scully]

I found the traffic layer interesting. A few roads I thought were quiet country roads are very busy

 

[Vostok]

And here’s an article about it in the SMH:

Electric avenue: The NSW plan for 1000 electric vehicle chargers

From Broken Hill to Byron, electric vehicle chargers will be rolled out across NSW over the next six years under a state government plan.

www.smh.com.au

 

[cafz]

I found the traffic layer interesting. A few roads I thought were quiet country roads are very busy

I am deeply, deeply sceptical of the data in the traffic layer.

Wombeyan Caves Road does 24,000 movements a day?

Tinderry Road has twice the volume of the Monaro Highway?

The Araluen Road does more traffic than the Kings Highway?

No, there's Something Not Quite Right...

 

[scully]

Hmm? Are they counting wombats as traffic?

 

[Sir Surfalot]

I just had a chance to have a look at the map, thanks @moa999 for linking to it.

Found for Jindabyne that they have the two 50kW NRMA chargers shown twice - once in the correct location (with full information) and again (same address, but shown wrongly on the map) with partial and incorrect information. Net effect is showing 4 DC chargers currently there when there are actually two.

Also when you click on the "tourism" layer there are some very weird and incorrect places shown in that area (eg Lerida Estate winery is actually up near Lake George, the other side of Canberra, and I'm _pretty_sure_ that "Banda Road Arboretum" isn't on the road between Smiggin Holes and Perisher) and the major ski resorts don't seem to be shown at all.

As @cafz said above the traffic volumes look wonky too. Aside what seems to be complete wrongness the problem with any modelling of an average annual daily volume is with seasonal touristic sort of roads: the roads to/from the ski resorts for example get smashed with traffic for 2-3 months of the year in winter (and even then the weekends are HUGE compared with mid-week), and are very (very) quiet the rest of the year. An annual average - and hence an annual average need for charging stations, etc - isn't going to emphasise the right peak capacity for a seasonal kind of place.

Anyway, I just sent an email to the address shown on the map about the doubled-up Jindabyne chargers. If I get a positive response from them on that I'll likely send some emails with other incorrect things I've seen too (I'm guessing there will be major stakeholders asking about the traffic numbers so I wouldn't stick my nose into that with them as I don't really know anything...). Has anyone else sent feedback yet?

 

[Vostok]

I am deeply, deeply sceptical of the data in the traffic layer.

Apparently the Silver City highway between Broken Hill and Tibooburra has an average of 10,850 traffic movements per day. In contrast, the Sydney Harbour Bridge only gets 39,533 traffic movements per day, less than 4 times as much.

Colour me skeptical… deeply skeptical!

 

[Chuq]

Apparently the Silver City highway between Broken Hill and Tibooburra has an average of 10,850 traffic movements per day. In contrast, the Sydney Harbour Bridge only gets 39,533 traffic movements per day, less than 4 times as much.

Colour me skeptical… deeply skeptical!

It says 870/day for the southernmost third of the route, before jumping to the 10k+ numbers, so there's definitely something wrong there...

 

[Vostok]

As mentioned in my post in this other thread I had the meeting yesterday with two reps from the Net-Zero transport team in the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE).

It was a good meeting and a lot of ground was covered in a short time. Some of the take-outs regarding on-street charging:

• They had not considered power-pole mounted EVSEs as an option for on-street EV charging in areas with limited off-street parking (like the area I live in). In fact, I got the impression they'd never seen this type of solution before.
• They were impressed with the research I had done identifying four possible suppliers of such EVSEs (Ubitricity, char.gy, FLO and EVSE LLC).
• I explained this solution would be instead of, and not in addition to, the current proposal to install "ultra fast" DCFCs no more than 5km from any house for reasons of convenience, cost, ease of installation, scalability etc. Also only one landlord to deal with in Sydney (Ausgrid).
• It seems like they will follow this up and give it a closer look.

Discussion then moved onto other issues:

• They were curious if I knew when Tesla would open up SCs to non-Tesla EVs (obviously I don't know, they would have more success getting that info out of Tesla than I would )
• I pointed out the traffic figures on their interactive EV planning map are horribly wrong - they will look into it.
• The idea that temporary ad-hoc on-street charging should be permitted by running cables across footpaths with appropriate trip protection (e.g. this) was met with a somewhat stony silence... might not get any traction on that one!
• However they were interested in stories of OCs blocking apartment owners from installing EVSEs at their own cost - might get traction on that.
• Regarding new apartment blocks, they are absolutely working on updating the building code to make it mandatory for new builds to make provision for EV charging. They say a lot of this is market led in any event, developers see the value. But I did say that provision needs to be made to every parking space, not just a subset, as has been done in some countries. Really short sighted otherwise.

They pointed me to the Site Host Prospectus that is out for the first round of DCFC grants (closing Feb) and were interested in feedback:

https://www.energysaver.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-11/GOVP1587_DPIE_NSW_CHARGING_HOST_SITE_PROSPECTUS_FA_ACCESSIBLE_FINAL.pdf

The good news is that sites under this programme must have a minimum of 4 parking bays and DCFC equipment capable of charging those 4 cars simultaneously. Preferred power is 350 kW. They are also requiring that publicly accessible, platform-agnostic, real-time status of DCFCs (occupancy and fault status) must be part of the solution. Further, stalls should have slow-charging AC backup in the event of DCFC faults.

Other requirements are 24/7 access, site amenity (things to do nearby - eat, shop, recreation, toilet facilities), bay arrangement and space to cope with cars with charge ports in different positions but also future needs for larger vehicles, and enforcement of parking restrictions.

Grants for Destination Charging will open early next year.

I might meet with them again in the new year.

 

[rx80]

They pointed me to the Site Host Prospectus that is out for the first round of DCFC grants (closing Feb)

I'm curious, did they say how many (if any) have submitted EoI for this so far, ballpark?

 

[moa999]

Were they aware of what AusGrid is doing with Jolt on the green boxes?

Pole charging also depends very much on the type of pole..
Much easier to fit a charging point where its underground power and a hollow metal pole.
(As is typical in built-up areas in the UK).

While there are a few examples of underground power in Australia (including the existing Canterbury Sydney pole), mostly we have old school wooden poles with the wires strung on top.

 

[Vostok]

I'm curious, did they say how many (if any) have submitted EoI for this so far, ballpark?

No, they didn’t but then again I didn’t ask.

I think the requirements they listed for site hosts are great and more than I expected, but I think more applicable to high traffic routes and charging needs for longer trips.

For daily driving, their concept is to provide DCFCs no more than 5km from any house in areas with little or no off-street parking (people with off-street parking should provide for their own charging). I told them I don’t think that would be very convenient or solve the problem for people who live in such areas.

In Sydney, that approach would require around 50 DCFCs today. I think they would struggle to get enough well-located site hosts that tick all those boxes. Most areas with limited off-street parking are inner-city so (a) have very high property density where sufficient free space for 4-bay DCFCs might be hard to find and (b) land values are extremely high, making it harder for a DCFC to provide an economic return for the host.

And as the number of EVs grow (going from 10,000 today to hundreds of thousands then millions), you would start to need way more than 50 such sites, so scalability is a real problem.

Which might make them more interested in power-pole mounted AC EVSEs as the right answer there.

 

[Vostok]

Were they aware of what AusGrid is doing with Jolt on the green boxes?

That was on my list but I ran out of time to cover it. They need to step in and bring recalcitrant councils to heel (stories of Randwick council holding up Jolt installs). I have their email addresses now though so can feed them stuff.

Pole charging also depends very much on the type of pole.. Much easier to fit a charging point where its underground power and a hollow metal pole. (As is typical in built-up areas in the UK).

While there are a few examples of underground power in Australia (including the existing Canterbury Sydney pole), mostly we have old school wooden poles with the wires strung on top.

Yep - I explained this. I’d like to see AC EVSEs mounted on timber power poles with overhead wiring. Installation would be very quick and easy. No ground works.

I pointed out that Ubitricity is designed for hollow-core steel lampposts that you see in London where the power is underground, so would need redesign to work on our timber poles.

The others I cited are closer to fit-for-purpose here. EVSE LLC’s “AutoCoil” would definitely work on a timber pole (they’d need to change the J-1772 plug though to Type 2).

 

[Chuq]

They pointed me to the Site Host Prospectus that is out for the first round of DCFC grants (closing Feb) and were interested in feedback:

https://www.energysaver.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-11/GOVP1587_DPIE_NSW_CHARGING_HOST_SITE_PROSPECTUS_FA_ACCESSIBLE_FINAL.pdf
The good news is that sites under this programme must have a minimum of 4 parking bays and DCFC equipment capable of charging those 4 cars simultaneously. Preferred power is 350 kW.

That looks pretty good!

After some general advice...

I'm planning an end of year "how will the state of Aussie DC fast chargers look in 3 years" map. Safe to say it looks like I need to add a bunch more orange (150 kW+) dots for NSW based on this info.

The map from @moa999's first post shows a lot of locations but I'm not sure how many of these we can expect soon. I enabled the "Optimal Zones for regional charging" (with slider set to 2023) and "Existing 50 kW fast chargers" layers and got a map like this:

The turquoise colour means 4 stalls per site (if I drag the slider past 2023 the colour gets brighter to indicate more stalls) but I'm not sure what the size of the blobs indicates.

Is it over the top to expect that in 3 years all of those sites will have 4 stall 350 kW chargers? If not, any idea how I filter out the ones that will?

 

[Onshore]

Were they aware of what AusGrid is doing with Jolt on the green boxes?

Pole charging also depends very much on the type of pole..
Much easier to fit a charging point where its underground power and a hollow metal pole.
(As is typical in built-up areas in the UK).

Importantly though, telegraph poles aren't the only possibility for kerbside chargers.

They can be mounted in bollards.

Connected Kerb | Gecko

Designed to fit to parking posts or bollards, the Gecko connects as a singular or paired socket to a subterranean master charger unit.

www.connectedkerb.com

EV Charging Stations

The Electric Vehicle Charging Station is an eco-friendly solution for any commercial or public EV charging area. Available as a Single or Dual charging unit, the durable and reliable design made from galvanized steel is built to last the worst weather conditions while still delivering a...

bollardcompany.com

Or integrated into Parking Meters. This is a great option for metered areas, as these can do double duty. And what council doesn't love parking revenue!

A Green Future for Cities, using Duncan Solutions’ Parking Meters -

In an era of increasing environmental awareness, Duncan Solutions is at the forefront of making Electronic Vehicle (EV) usage in cities more viable. Like many cities, Sydney strives to maintain a sustainable environmental footprint. Transportation is a significant source...

duncansolutions.com.au

There's even something called an Armadillo

Connected Kerb | Chameleon

Designed and manufactured right here in the UK, the Chameleon is one of the lowest impact and smallest dual charger solutions for public on-street charging in the market.

www.connectedkerb.com

 

[Vostok]

Importantly though, telegraph poles aren't the only possibility for kerbside chargers.

They can be mounted in bollards.

Yep, bollards are a common and very well established solution for areas that have underground power. They are all over Europe. Still expensive though - any groundworks and concrete plinth work adds thousands of dollars to the cost.

But above-ground EVSEs designed for solid poles with overhead powerlines - very few players in that space.

 

[miimura]

Yep, bollards are a common and very well established solution for areas that have underground power. They are all over Europe. Still expensive though - any groundworks and concrete plinth work adds thousands of dollars to the cost.

But above-ground EVSEs designed for solid poles with overhead powerlines - very few players in that space.

I know you mentioned EVSE LLC up-thread, but I thought others would be interested to see one of the solutions.

Utility Pole-Mounted Electric Vehicle Chargers are Revving Up Clean Energy Initiatives | Utility Dive

Utility industry news and analysis for energy professionals.

www.utilitydive.com

This solution addresses possible vandalism and how to reach a variety of vehicle charge port locations with a motorized retraction mechanism activated by an app.

 

[Vostok]

I'm planning an end of year "how will the state of Aussie DC fast chargers look in 3 years" map. Safe to say it looks like I need to add a bunch more orange (150 kW+) dots for NSW based on this info.

The map from @moa999's first post shows a lot of locations but I'm not sure how many of these we can expect soon. I enabled the "Optimal Zones for regional charging" (with slider set to 2023) and "Existing 50 kW fast chargers" layers and got a map like this:

The turquoise colour means 4 stalls per site (if I drag the slider past 2023 the colour gets brighter to indicate more stalls) but I'm not sure what the size of the blobs indicates.

Is it over the top to expect that in 3 years all of those sites will have 4 stall 350 kW chargers? If not, any idea how I filter out the ones that will?

How many get built is anyone’s guess. The site host prospectus says that “There are currently 181 fast chargers in NSW, but at least 3,900 fast chargers are needed across NSW by 2031 to meet projected demand“ so that gives a guide as to the targeted end point. I don’t think you can say 10% of those would be built in 10% of the time (i.e. 370 every year) they will be back-ended. But 150 in the next 3 years doesn’t seem fanciful.

Given the underlying traffic data on the interactive map is rubbish, I would not place a lot of faith on where it thinks the DCFCs will go. I don’t know what the size of the blobs means either.

 

[Vostok]

I know you mentioned EVSE LLC up-thread, but I thought others would be interested to see one of the solutions.

Utility Pole-Mounted Electric Vehicle Chargers are Revving Up Clean Energy Initiatives | Utility Dive

Utility industry news and analysis for energy professionals.

www.utilitydive.com

This solution addresses possible vandalism and how to reach a variety of vehicle charge port locations with a motorized retraction mechanism activated by an app.

And here’s a video on how it works… I don’t know why it’s an “Unlisted” video on YouTube… you can’t sell a secret!

Here’s their webpage for this product:

3704 AutoCoil EV Charger - EVSE - Control Module

Smart Charging Solutions for Electric Vehicles

evsellc.com

 

[Vostok]

Importantly though, telegraph poles aren't the only possibility for kerbside chargers…

Or integrated into Parking Meters. This is a great option for metered areas, as these can do double duty. And what council doesn't love parking revenue!

A Green Future for Cities, using Duncan Solutions’ Parking Meters -

In an era of increasing environmental awareness, Duncan Solutions is at the forefront of making Electronic Vehicle (EV) usage in cities more viable. Like many cities, Sydney strives to maintain a sustainable environmental footprint. Transportation is a significant source...

duncansolutions.com.au

There's even something called an Armadillo

Connected Kerb | Chameleon

Designed and manufactured right here in the UK, the Chameleon is one of the lowest impact and smallest dual charger solutions for public on-street charging in the market.

www.connectedkerb.com

I like the parking meters one… I’ll forward that to the Net Zero team.

Don’t know about the Armadillo though - that seriously looks like a trip hazard!