Off the wire
• China stocks open lower Tuesday  • 2nd LD Writethru: UN Security Council slams terrorist attack in Afghanistan  • China Hushen 300 index futures open lower Tuesday  • Irish naval vessel rescues over 500 migrants in Mediterranean  • IMF gives positive outlook over St. Kitts and Nevis economy  • Mandzukic joins Juventus  • China treasury bond futures open mixed Tuesday  • Chinese yuan weakens to 6.1119 against USD Tuesday  • Tokyo stocks open higher in early trading following overseas markets gains  • Market exchange rates in China -- June 23  
You are here: 　 Home

Aussie 1st "electric highway" opens public charging stations for electric cars

Xinhua, June 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

Australia's first "electric highway" has opened in Western Australia, allowing electric vehicle (EV) owners to take their vehicles hundreds of kilometers without an overnight charge.

Twelve publicly accessible electric charging stations have been installed in the state's southwest, allowing EVs to travel from the capital city of Perth to the beachside town of Augusta with just one or two quick stops.

The charging stations take just half an hour to fully charge a vehicle, a fraction of the time it takes owners to charge their cars at home - some models take up to eight hours to fully charge.

Dr Chris Jones from the Australian Electric Vehicle Association told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that it was only a matter of time before other states begin to follow Western Australia's lead in building publicly accessible charging stations.

"It's an elegantly simple system. All of the infrastructure to deliver the energy is already there, it's just a case of putting the right charger there," he said.

Western Australia has less than 150 electric cars registered on its roads, but local authorities hope the newly-built infrastructure will promote the green transportation as a viable option.

The Royal Automotive Club of Western Australia (RAC WA) funded the charging stations, and president Esme Brown told the ABC that it could spark an electric car revolution.

"I think it's just about getting people exposed to them and I think this highway will give people the opportunity to think, ' What's that car doing? What does it do? What does it mean?'," she said on Tuesday.

Jones said there were many reasons why Australia was so far behind the rest of the world when it comes to popularity of electric cars.

He said Australia's vast landmass meant that a typical range of 150 kilometers per charge was not adequate for many drivers.

"We do have longer distances than most to travel and so the limited range of the current fleet of EVs plays a part in that," he said.

"We also don't have any government incentives whatsoever whereas most other nations have got something."

Western Australia's EV car owners can charge their vehicles for free until the end of 2015, before a charge of 2-4 U.S dollars is introduced. Endi