Supercharger - Gawler, SA - Q2 2023

[RichardV]

"
Tesla unsolicited proposal for 6 fast chargers in Gawler
Tesla has approached the Town of Gawler with a proposal to build, own and operate 6 Tesla fast
Superchargers on Town of Gawler land/sites. The non-confidential summary presentation about the
offer is attached (Attachment 1). This offer, if accepted, would complement the Town of Gawler
planning to provide the smaller 22 kW and 6 kW AC chargers and a limited number of accessible
fast chargers in the community.
Tesla would arrange the power feed as required and the infrastructure (cabling and switchboards)
would be available for the Town of Gawler to access should Tesla close down their assets.
The Tesla Superchargers would all be installed in one location, meaning that 6 car parking spaces
would need to be designated for fast charging. The location may be dependent on access to local
amenities and businesses and suitable SAPN medium voltage distribution supply.
Current Tesla Superchargers are only suitable for Tesla Vehicles but will be upgrading to universal
fast charging from 2023. Tesla were approached to clarify this commitment and have confirmed their
intention to open the Supercharger network to non-Tesla EVs, and by doing so, encourage more
drivers to go electric. The company are not able to provide a fixed date when Town of Gawler
superchargers would be made available to non-Tesla vehicles, but have advised that If the
Superchargers are not universal at the time of installation in Gawler (Q2 2023), the change to
become universal is a software upgrade and will not require any other on site works.
As the Tesla Superchargers will complement Town of Gawler EV charge stations and can be
established without a budget impact on the Town of Gawler, it is recommended that in-principle
support is provided to Tesla but a final decision would be subject to a detailed report on the impact
of dedicating 6 parking places for Electric Vehicles and a site specific proposal by Tesla.
"

https://www.gawler.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/1133264/12-04-2022-IES-Agenda.PDF

Interesting in itself that Tesla are expecting to go universal in Australia from 2023.

 

[RichardV]

"RECOMMENDATION
That Council notes the LOST Motion from the Infrastructure & Environmental Services Committee
made at item 7.7 of the meeting of that Committee meeting held on 3 May 2022"

https://www.gawler.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/1150803/24-05-2022-Council-Agenda.PDF

Seems this item was voted down. Hopefully this was being due to being lumped into a larger item. The council seems quite pro EV from their meeting minutes.

Proposed location was at Gawler council administration centre.

Attachment cited above.

https://www.gawler.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0025/1133278/12-04-2022-IES-Attachments_2-pg-105-to-269.pdf

 

[moa999]

Found the video -

From about 2.11.40

Mayor proposed it, but very few people speak. Motion defeated pretty much on the speech of the chair (I think Cr Paul Koch based on the minutes).

It's a bit of a rambling speech but the lack of 3rd party usage is again an issue. And while they acknowledge that the SA Govt network didn't pick Gawler, seems to think the petrol station (BP?) will.

Personally think Tesla seems to do a very poor job of selling this to Council members - the few slides that went into the pack don't seem to head off these issues, or explain the benefits.

 

[Hairyman]

Interesting to note that Tesla has opened up its UK Superchargers to everyone.

 

[moa999]

Interesting to note that Tesla has opened up its UK Superchargers to everyone.

Only 15 sites/170 stalls of about 100/1000 in the country.
Netherlands which was the first trial country for 3rd party access is now fully open.

The comments that Tesla will be open in Australia in 2023 is interesting. Might mean some sites late 2022, then all (or at least most) by 2023.

 

[RichardV]

Personally think Tesla seems to do a very poor job of selling this to Council members - the few slides that went into the pack don't seem to head off these issues, or explain the benefits.

Seems like both Gawer and Tesla are shooting themselves in the foot here. I don't think it would take much for Gawler to insist back to Tesla that upon opening of Gawler Supercharger, that at a minimum the Gawler Supercharger is open to all CCS vehicles, even though it sounds likely that more Superchargers would already be open to CCS vehicles by then. They also seem to ignore the extra 'foot' traffic this would bring to their community and that Tesla is providing free capital works to electrify at least park of their car park. Tesla even state that if they remove the Gawler Superchargers the remaining electical upgrades are owned by Gawler.

Given the teleconference nature of the council meeting I am not sure why Tesla did not have a representative present via a video link to better argue more of the nuances that are inevitably brought up.

 

[RichardV]

Maybe Tesla should just buy or lease,

2 Shop & Retail Properties For Sale in Gawler, SA 5118

Looking for Shop & Retail Properties for sale in Gawler, SA 5118 & surrounding areas? Search listings on Commercial Real Estate and find the right Commercial Property.

www.commercialrealestate.com.au

Just across the road, former used car lot, so plenty of parking.

Anyone think that people at Tesla stalks TMC like we stalk them?

 

[Chuq]

Great to see Tesla is doing lots of behind the scenes work. Disappointing that the council turned it down. But especially disappointing that the councillor who spoke against it, Paul Koch, is an AEVA member (a SA branch committee member at one point, I believe).

I really don’t get how a supporter or EVs could vote against a charging station of 6x 250 kW stalls because a service station (guessing he means Ampol) *might* build one or two 150 kW fast charger some time in the future. (Note that Ampol’s ARENA funds were only Qld, NSW, Vic and WA). Or indeed why one would preclude the other.

I also don’t know why he talks about “replacing parts” in the charging unit being required to enable superchargers to charge other vehicles. Which is obviously BS.

I’m not sure if he’s still active in AEVA but it all sounds a bit weird to me.

 

[moa999]

Very poor and surprising if one and the same person. I'd thought it was just a councillor who'd done two minutes of research.
(Edit. Finding his Council election page - it's one and the same, though he no longer seems to be Chair of AEVA SA Branch)

I assumed he meant BP (from what I can tell only BP, Shell and XConvenience in Gawler) who announced there 1000 site (UK, Aus, NZ) plan - but that's probably only 200-300 in Australia versus thousands of sites.

Agreed the comment about replacing parts seemed wrong. Its only software, and probably more down to local legal approvals on the app.

The comment also that Tesla had been slow in expanding access was strange.
The trial started in the Netherlands 6 months ago with 10 sites. It's been expanded twice and now covers hundreds of sites across 8 countries.
And Elon has been pretty clear about it going global in public statements.

Slow would be the SA Government network. Announced 18 months ago and currently zero sites.

-

Even if Tesla didn't give 3rd party access in Australia, it's still 60-70% of EVs sold in the past few years, and I suspect a near $1m investment in the town.
Whereas they'd be waiting years for another round of investment from the SA Govt or the hope that BP picks their station for one or two stalls.

And at least from Google the carpark proposed looks large and underutilised, and a block away from the main street - so close enough to be a decent site, but not too close to be regularly ICEd or take away highly used car spaces.

 

[RareEarth]

EV supporters are a 'broad church' and there is definitely an 'anything but Tesla' cohort. AEVA is not immune from this.

 

[technerdx6000]

I have definitely noticed an anti-Tesla vibe outside of Tesla circles in online spaces. Not sure why. You can hate Musk all you like, but you can't argue Tesla didn't single handedly spearhead the EV industry

 

[BCTS]

I think unfortunately it's probably a missed opportunity for Gawler.
I'd suggest they'd probably look at Alternative locations or skip the site entirely.

If Paul Koch was the person speaking against the motion, his understanding of the fast charging landscape seemed very limited for a former Executive Member.

It was almost comparing a 25 or 50kw Fast Charger against a Bank of Tesla Chargers (likely 250kw) as comparable.
Previously the council is bemoaning that they started offering Free AC Charging years ago and its now costing them money.
Here Tesla is offering
- To Install, Provision and Maintain all Charging Hardware/Electrical Works etc
- Handover the Electrical Installation (Cabinets etc) if the chargers were removed to Council... so they'd have a free kick if Tesla ever left.

All Tesla want in the meantime is the space to deploy the chargers, which would certainly be an attraction to people driving through the area.

It would quite interesting if Tesla/someone commissioned a Study from Restaurants/Local Businesses about the impact of the chargers.
I know for one there's a number of businesses in Euroa who love the Lunch Weekend Tesla Traffic.

 

[moa999]

From latest Gawler Council IES agenda.

https://www.gawler.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0029/1445285/08-08-2023-Infrastructure-and-Environmental-Services-Committee-Agenda.PDF

Gawler now charging for existing AC chargers (30c/kWh for council ones). Also RAA has installed in caravan park (25-32c/kWh)

And they have found the budget for an Electric Vehicle Transition and Charging Plan be undertaken in 2023-24, with support from
an external consultant with experience in electric vehicle operations.

Definitely missed opportunity.

 

[Chuq]

So Tesla has now opened about half of their Australian superchargers to all EVs.

Gawler, who refused a supercharger based on them being Tesla only, and the chance that a service station is "likely to install something soon", could today have had 6x 250 kW CCS2 chargers at no cost to council.

Instead, they've got nothing.

Great work to the councillor involved in pushing against this.

 

[dronus]

So Tesla has now opened about half of their Australian superchargers to all EVs.

Gawler, who refused a supercharger based on them being Tesla only, and the chance that a service station is "likely to install something soon", could today have had 6x 250 kW CCS2 chargers at no cost to council.

Instead, they've got nothing.

Great work to the councillor involved in pushing against this.

Its amazing how one council persons opinion in Local or State government can disadvantage so many people. Whats even more amazing is that when their opinion gets proven to be incorrect or misleading down the track, in order to protect their job they never fall on their sword. Usually you can follow the money to see where their allegiances are aligned. Im not saying that this is what happened here, i dont know anyone who works there.
I was hoping the Tesla chargers would get built in Gawler, i pass thru there quite often on the way up to the Barossa, and would continue to in my M3 when it gets here but i guess its unlikely ill be stopping there to buy lunch etc from local traders, which sucks as i always try to support local.

 

[RareEarth]

Planning laws need to change to make the process immune from small town politics and anti EV bias. EV charger networks of all varieties need to be classed as nationally important infrastructure. These networks will in future be supporting a fair slice of the nation's transport fleet, not just cars.

 

[dronus]

Planning laws need to change to make the process immune from small town politics and anti EV bias. EV charger networks of all varieties need to be classed as nationally important infrastructure. These networks will in future be supporting a fair slice of the nation's transport fleet, not just cars.

Absolutely. And being that Tesla are offering to build it for free and hand over the infrastructure if they ever leave, what have the council got to lose? Unless their bias/ego is clouding their judgement. It disadvantages the businesses and residents they are supposed to be helping.
State/Federal govt should be able to get some transparency into how decisions like this are made, or make them in the nations interest.
If the bias is related to anti-ev they will eventually work out that it won’t stop people buying evs, they just won’t stop there, and locals with evs will get to sort things out in the next local elections.

 

[dronus]

The BP and Shell in Gawler are in pretty pokey locations which are hard enough to get into with a car. The shell just had works done with no visable areas for chargers, and it would only be one or two if they did.
The am/pm out the other side of town has a little more room but isn’t really going to service gawler town centre too well. It’s closer to the northern expressway entry/exit tho so handy if you are heading out that way. The caravan park is a good place for that RAA charger, but it’s not really publicly accessible.
If I worked at a council I would be encouraging EV infrastructure, especially if someone else is paying for it and is opening it up for all other brands (which they don’t have to, but it’s awesome that they are!) The financial/environmental and constituent benefits are pretty obvious.
I live in a large southern Adelaide council that starts with an O. If I look on PlugShare there is no fast chargers anywhere in our council, only destination chargers at wineries. If you look at PlugShare, look at anything south of flinders university (Marion council). Nothing.

Meanwhile new OTR servos and whole building developments are getting approved left right and centre.
I guess councils don’t make money from EV chargers.

 

[RichardV]

New fast charger going in Gawler Park shopping centre. Not sure the network. The point for this thread is that there is at least one Charge Point Operator who was able to negotiate a private lease in the Gawler area and given we are now up to/past Tesla's predicated time frame of Q2 2023 for their Gawler Supercharger might we see one in this centre or similar.

 

[dronus]

The city of Onkaparinga can be pretty clearly defined on the PlugShare map with its lack of charging infrastructure.
Such a shame as we have beautiful beaches, wonderful local businesses and things to go and see/do. There is a Raa charger going in at Seaford.
I was walking the dog yesterday at the beach and got talking to a lovely couple who were down from QLD. They were staying at the caravan park at the beach in a cabin and were concerned about the lack of charging south of Marion. They even mentioned that they would skip going to certain places.