Electric vehicle (EV) drivers have a new option when it comes to charging their cars on the Tomaree Peninsula.
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Ingenia Lifestyle have installed an electric charging station at the gates to the Anna Bay-based Latitude One over 55s residential community, which is available to all EV drivers to use.
"This is something that anyone in the community or passersby can enjoy, not just for our Ingenia Lifestyle residents. We wanted to make sure anyone with an EV could benefit from this initiative," Craig Shepherd, Ingenia Communities senior project manager, said.
"We've installed a 22-kilowatt dual charging station which means two vehicles can be charged simultaneously without any power degradation. Drivers can also use cashless and contactless payment options for convenience."
Figures sourced from the Electric Vehicle Council show Australian sales of fully electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid cars in 2019 had more than tripled in comparison to the preceding year.
EVs are expected to account for 70 to 100 per cent of new vehicle sales by 2040 (based on Infrastructure Australia's 2020 national electric vehicle fast-charging network report).
However, further Infrastructure Australia research has found that many motorists are currently deterred from buying EVs due to a lack of necessary infrastructure such as widely available public charging stations.
Latitude One resident Brian George has been driving an EV for the past 18 months and said the new charging station was a welcome addition to the Port Stephens area.
"I hope that an increase in charging stations will encourage people to drive electric cars. Especially because drivers won't have to worry about being caught out without a nearby charging station on long trips," Mr George said.
"EVs are a fantastic advancement on the vehicles we've been used to; and the performance is much better than an internal combustion engine. The emissions of an EV are zero, which is one of the main reasons that I looked into getting one in the first place."
Mr Shepherd said the Anna Bay EV charging station was installed as part of Ingenia's wider sustainability and environmental development goals, which also includes solar energy for all homes, storm water systems and home insulation in its residential communities.
Port Stephens-based EV charging stations can also be found in Government Road, Nelson Bay; Sunset Boulevard and Soldiers Point Road, Soldiers Point; Tarean Road, Karuah; Pacific Highway, Heatherbrae.
