Charging an electric car in Australia

The networks

Australia's fast charging is run by a handful of networks with sites along the highways and in the cities, and the fuel companies have joined them.

• Chargefox and Evie Networks run the two largest ultra fast networks, on the routes between the capitals and across the regions.
• Tesla Superchargers cover the east coast and the main inland routes, and most sites are now open to other cars.
• Ampol AmpCharge and BP Pulse put fast chargers on their forecourts.
• NRMA in New South Wales, the RAC in the west and other motoring clubs fill in regional towns, and state governments have funded chargers on the routes nobody would build alone.
• Councils, shopping centres and car parks run most of the AC posts.

Plugs

CCS2 for fast charging and Type 2 for AC, everywhere. Older sites may still have a CHAdeMO cable for early Nissan Leafs; new ones rarely do. Teslas sold in Australia use CCS2 too. See plug types.

Paying

Each network has its own app, and most drivers end up with three or four. Chargefox and Evie also take a tap of a bank card on newer units, and Tesla bills a Tesla account. Prices are per kWh and are set by the network, not the site.

Long drives

The Hume between Melbourne and Sydney, the Pacific up to Brisbane, and the routes to Adelaide and Canberra are well covered, with ultra fast sites every 100 to 200 km. Inland and across the Nullarbor to Perth the gaps are real: plan them with a reserve, check each stop's page the night before, and expect some AC only towns. Distances are long and 110 km/h is normal, so use your highway range, not the badge.

Find chargers

Every public site ChargeAlong knows about in Australia is on the Australia page, by state or region and town, with its plugs, its power and what drivers have said. For a long drive, the trip planner picks the stops for your car. And the road trip guide is what to do when you get to one.