Policy to supercharge EV rollout

Wollongong City Council media release: 15 May 2023

Wollongong City Council is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions within the Local Government Area. One way we are doing that is by supporting residents in the switch to electric vehicles.

Last week, Council voted unanimously to adopt a new Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure on Public Land Policy. The updated policy guides third-party providers to establish, operate and maintain charging infrastructure on Council-owned or managed land.

The new policy was finalised following a round of community consultation earlier this year, where 98 per cent of submissions supported the document.

Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM said the policy will support more people to use electric vehicles in Wollongong.

“Council won’t own or operate the charging stations but is keen to make sure they are accessible, convenient and meet the needs of the community, both now and into the future.

“We are committed to increasing the availability of the stations and this policy makes clear our procurement, site selection, design and licencing requirements.

“By taking the lead and setting out our expectations about charging stations we hope that this will facilitate more of them being established in our city. This will, in turn, allow more drivers to consider whether the move to an electric vehicle is for them.”

Where possible, the providers of charging stations are encouraged to use renewable energy to power the chargers.

“Renewable energy is the fuel of the future and when our residents are ready to transition, Council is taking the steps to ensure the charging infrastructure they need is available.”

“Switching to electric vehicles, and appliances, that are powered by renewable energy, is cleaner, cheaper to run and better for the planet.

“Moving forward, this infrastructure will play a part in achieving net zero community emissions in Wollongong by 2050,” said Cr Bradbery.