Patchy Queensland EV charging network plagued by delays

Electric vehicle (EV) drivers in the vast majority of inland Queensland remain without access to public fast-chargers as the state’s EV charging network continues to be hit by delays and breakdowns.

The previous Palaszczuk government began rolling out public EV chargers in July 2017, when the Queensland Electric Super Highway (QESH) was announced as part of its $2 billion renewable energy and jobs fund, and dubbed as the longest of its type in the world, spanning at least 1700km between the Gold Coast and Cairns.

Built and operated by Yurika Energy and supported by RACQ, the network of over 50 EV chargers now extends from Coolangatta to Port Douglas on the Sunshine State coast.

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In June 2021, the state government committed $2.75 million to deliver 18 new rural charging sites as part of Phase 3 of the project, extending the QESH westward into central Queensland with new chargers in towns including Charters Towers, Hughenden, Julia Creek, Cloncurry, Mount Isa, Goondiwindi, Stanthorpe, Winton, Longreach, Barcaldine, Blackall, Emerald, Dingo, Charleville, Roma, Miles, Kingaroy and Esk.

At the time, the Palaszczuk government said it would almost double the length of the pre-existing 31-site QESH on the coast, from just under 2000km to almost 3800km, and bring to 49 the number of public DC fast-charging sites in the state (excluding private chargers at hotels and the like).

“Electric vehicle drivers will be able to take trips from Brisbane to Mount Isa, Goondiwindi to Emerald, and Longreach to Cairns knowing there are charging stations along the way,” it said.

More towns were announced in 2022 when the Queensland Government confirmed plans for chargers in 24 regional locations by mid-2023, but four sites in Emerald, Rolleston, Injune and Roma continue to face delays, leaving gaps of up to 600km between public chargers on major highways.

The government’s website currently states 23 new regional sites will come online throughout 2024 and 2025 as part of Phase 3 of the QESH, which will expand to 54 sites by mid-2025.

It says the previously listed Kynuna site has been removed from QESH Phase 3 “due to the inability of the current local energy network to support fast charging”, and that the Roma site is expected to be commissioned in December 2024, followed by chargers in Injune in the Maranoa region by February 2025, and in both Emerald and Rolleston in the Central Highlands by April 2025.

“Once completed, Phase 3 will connect electric vehicle drivers across a range of routes – from Brisbane to Mount Isa (via the Dinosaur Trail locations), Goondiwindi to Emerald, Cunnamulla to Barcaldine and Longreach to Cairns,” states the Queensland Government’s QESH web page.

According to the ABC, the Roma site was due to come online in December 2024 and has been installed, but is not operational.

Yurika general manager of assets and operations Sam Bush told the ABC the delays were partly due to difficulties in identifying and gaining approval for suitable sites.

He said other hurdles were negotiations with local councils, the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, and network upgrade approvals for connections via the Ergon Energy Network.

“A lack of availability of the required technical resources has also pushed out connection timeframes,” Mr Bush said.

About 91,000 battery-electric vehicles and 23,000 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles were sold in Australia last year, accounting for 9.65 per cent of all new vehicles registered in 2024 – up from 8.45 per cent in 2023.