Electric Vehicle charging in construction

Electric Vehicles are becoming increasingly more common in the community.  They provide significant environmental benefits, and while it is not currently the case they should eventually become more cost effective to own and run.

As a result they have become an integral part of the environment policy of governments around the world.

The New South Wales Government has released an Electric Vehicle Strategy to enable drivers to identify charging station locations and to assist EV charging providers and planners to explore the network’s potential and investment opportunities.

A $171 million grant fund is also available in NSW for addition to the EV charging infrastructure.

The Victorian, Queensland, South Australian, West Australian, Tasmanian and Northern Territory governments have also invested into public EV charging stations.  Funding grants and schemes are an integral part of the plans for each state, with an emphasis on public infrastructure and tourism destination options.

There is an interactive map to identify current EV charging station locations around the country.

So what does this mean for the construction industry?

The construction of public infrastructure, commercial and private buildings has already begun to incorporate Electric Vehicle (EV) charging options.  Planning regulations in most states, including Victoria,  have incorporated a requirement to include EV charging options in all projects.

As EVs become more and more widespread the incorporation of charging stations into both public and private construction projects, whether it is required or not, will be essential.

The charging infrastructure gap will continue to reduce as more stations are built, while the uptake of vehicles is predicted to continue to increase.  Governments will no longer need to fund the projects as the market demand becomes more dominant.

Electric vehicles are our future and must be factored into every construction project, large or small.