The drive to have more electric vehicles on the road is accelerating at a rapid pace with the City of Greater Bendigo installing two new electric vehicle charging stations in the heart of town.
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The 50kW fast chargers were installed at the Queen Elizabeth Oval carpark near the rear of the Capital Theatre on Sunday and allows four cars to be charged at the same time.
The fast charging technology can charge an electric vehicle within half an hour, depending on the size of the car battery.
It's all part of the Charging the Regions program which includes the construction of electric vehicle charging stations mainly in north west Victoria at 21 sites to help boost tourism, create jobs and reduce emissions.
The project is being delivered by the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance (CVGA), Victorian Government and 13 local councils, including the City of Greater Bendigo.
City of Greater Bendigo climate change and environment manager Michelle Wyatt said it was hoped the construction of the charging stations would increase the uptake of low emission vehicles among the public.
"Providing the infrastructure will help attract electric vehicle drivers to visit Bendigo, whether it's a day trip or driving through and bring tourism to the region," Ms Wyatt said.
"These stations take away that uncertainty for drivers surrounding the range and whether they can stop and charge their vehicle.
"The fee to recharge has been set at 40 cents per kilowatt hour to cover the costs of energy bills to the city in line with other fast chargers around the country."
Ms Wyatt said the city was committed to building a cleaner, more sustainable future for the community and providing infrastructure which has positive environmental, economic and tourism outcomes.
"The location of the stations in the heart of the city centre was identified for other benefits too," she said.
"It means that while a car is charging, visitors can spend more time in the city centre visiting nearby attractions, browsing at the shops or enjoying a meal.
"Being part of this network ensures that central Victoria stays ahead of the game as more and more EVs hit the road and our infrastructure allows us to respond to growing demand."
The City of Greater Bendigo has six electric vehicles at the moment with a strategy in place to convert 35 per cent of its light fleet and five items of heavy plant to low emissions over the next few years.
The recent federal government announcement to help drive down the cost of low and zero emission vehicles and ensure the electricity grid is ready for an increase in electric vehicles is encouraging for council officials like Ms Wyatt.
She said the city would be keen to look at ways to benefit from any state or federal government funding to install more charging stations in the future.
"This is a great stimulus that will in turn help boost jobs, develop a new targeted EV tourism market and encourage people who live in regional Victoria to consider 'going electric' too when they are looking at a car purchase in the future," Ms Wyatt said.
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