Funds from the state budget will be used to increase the number of charging stations in residential buildings and on city streets. The New South Wales government will spend $38 million to create more charging stations, including in apartment buildings and along roadsides, in order to speed up the uptake of electric vehicles. The additional monies, which will be announced in Tuesday's budget, will increase the total amount spent on NSW's strategy to $633 million, with the goal of having 50% of all car sales be electric by 2030-31. The new funds include $10 million to help pay modifications in around 125 medium and large apartment buildings with more than 100 parking spaces so that charging stations may be installed. A similar sum will be set aside to help co-finance 500 kerbside charging stations in residential areas where off-street parking – and charging options – are few. The remaining $18 million will be spent on further grants to expand and speed up the deployment of fast-charge stations. At least eight charging outlets will be added to high-density metropolitan areas that now have four. “Rolling out extra chargers will allow more EV drivers to benefit from their cheaper running costs and a cleaner, quieter and more sustainable road network,” Matt Kean, the NSW treasurer and energy minister, said. “You’ll never be far from a charger on our major highways, in regional destinations, apartment buildings and on kerbsides in metropolitan areas with limited off-street parking.” The state's electric vehicle policy, according to the government, is the largest of its kind in the country. The financing includes a $3,000 rebate and stamp duty exemptions for eligible new electric vehicle sales, as well as $149 million to help private companies establish ultra-fast charging stations. The new funds, according to Behyad Jafari, CEO of the Electric Vehicle Council, will be used for "very smart, targeted additional measures" that will allow more houses without garages to enter the EV market. “Quite a few states are doing a reasonably good job but nobody’s coming up to competing with NSW,” he said. The problem, according to Jafari, is to extend the market beyond "self-selecting" owners. His council has been working with the government on the plans. “If they have charging at home, they’re buying electric vehicles,” he said. “Too many people are not buying electric vehicles because they’re not sure what the solution will be there for them.” While the spending for charges at 125 buildings would only assist a tiny portion of the overall market, the investment would allow a nascent industry to develop rapidly. “It’s being able to entice enough of them to get the ball rolling so that people learn how this system works,” Jafari said. NSW would also consider expanding roadside charging options, such as placing outlets in power poles, as is being done in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/20/quick-jumpstart-nsw-to-spend-38m-to-speed-up-ev-uptake