Geelong’s council will install electric car charging stations after Leopold and Armstrong Creek as part of its bid to be “carbon neutral” by 2047.
The initiative would encourage locals to switch to electric cars and make recharging more convenient for owners, according to Geelong council environment portfolio holder Sarah Mansfield.
“Many people want to adopt these new, cleaner technologies,” Cr Mansfield said.
“Modern vehicle design is transitioning to battery-operated and more environmentally-conscious power alternatives that significantly reduce pollution.”
But motorists would have to wait for carbon-neutral electricity because the charging stations would source energy from the grid, City Hall’s Joanne Van Slageren said.
“However, we hope to be able to power them from renewable energy sources in the future.”
Council was considering using solar panels on nearby facilities such as the public toilets at Cunningham Pier, to offset power for the charging stations, Ms Van Slageren said.
City Hall recently opened two charging stations at Geelong’s waterfront at a cost of $4900 each and will open two more at car parks in Leopold and Armstrong Creek.
The stations are currently free but eventually users will pay 20 cents per kilowatt hour (kW/h) at peak times and 10 cents off-peak after a free first hour of charging.
The fees would cover the cost of electricity and maintaining the chargers, Ms Van Slageren said.
Users could park in the charging station parking bays for free for up to three hours if their vehicle was plugged into the charger, she confirmed.
The stations could charge two cars at once and took an hour to provide enough energy for an electric car to travel 100km, Ms Van Slageren said.
