FAQs
What is the South Australian EV Charging Network?
The South Australian government has awarded a grant of $12.35 million to the RAA to construct and operate Australia's first statewide electric vehicle (EV) charging network. The grant is part of the government's investment in South Australia's electric vehicle transformation, securing private investment in the EV charging network.
The network will comprise over 530 chargers across 140 electric vehicle charging stations in over 50 rural, regional and metropolitan service locations.
How do RAA select sites for EV charging stations?
The site locations are aligned with main roads and regional thoroughfares throughout South Australia. Regional towns host sites to help motorists overcome range anxiety and encourage visits within those regions.
Why was the Normanville Village Green selected as an EV charging site?
The Village Green is considered a suitable location given its proximity to the retail centre of Normanville and the availability of parking bays in the car park at 12 Edwards Avenue.
It is also known as an electric vehicle charging site. There is an existing council-provided single EV charging station at this car park. The current station is free to use but is an older technology AC-unit, which is slow to charge. This unit is at the end of its economic life and will be due for replacement in the next 12 months.
This existing EV charging unit will be replaced by three RAA EV charging stations.
Who pays for the electricity for the EV charging stations?
Once operational, these charging stations will be open to the public on a user-pays basis.
The fee to charge will be determined by the RAA, more information regarding the fee structure can be found here.
What does an EV charging station do?
An EV charging station supplies electricity to recharge electric vehicles, such as plug-in EVs and plug-in hybrids.
The charging stations will be located on the footpath, 700mm from the kerb. Each EV charging station will be 1.1m in height; 0.4m wide and 0.2m in depth.
Vehicles will park nose to kerb, which will prevent drivers standing in the flow of traffic when plugging in their vehicle.
Is it dangerous?
No. Electric vehicle charging stations are extremely safe.
However, while plugging the vehicle into a station is straightforward, the large amount of current carried over the cord from the power source to the vehicle makes caution necessary.
The charging station is designed so that electricity only flows through the cord while it is connected to the vehicle and the station is activated. If the cable connection to the vehicle is interrupted, the electricity supply is turned off.
As a further safety feature, once connected to the charging station, EVs cannot move while the cord is plugged in.