City of Newcastle is close to completing a major expansion of its public electric vehicle (EV) charging network, with 34 new charging ports being installed at 11 locations. This work will bring the city’s total to 50 public chargers across 15 sites.
Drivers can already use new chargers in Lambton, Wallsend, Hamilton, Stockton, Adamstown, Mayfield, Newcastle, Newcastle East and Wickham. Final installations at Beresfield and Georgetown are expected in the coming weeks.
City of Newcastle Executive Director Planning and Environment Michelle Bisson said increasing the number of chargers in different neighbourhoods supports growing demand and helps address a practical barrier for many drivers.
“One of the challenges, however, is that many drivers lack access to off-street parking to charge an EV,” Ms Bisson said.
“Increasing the availability of public chargers in different suburbs is an important step in achieving our goal of driving EV uptake and creating a cleaner, quieter, and lower emissions city.”
The project is being partly funded through a $270,000 contribution from the NSW Government’s EV Kerbside Charging Grants. Newcastle is one of 16 local government areas receiving co-funding under the first round of the program, which supports the installation of 671 charging ports across the state.
Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said, “It’s not just about future-proofing our energy grid – it’s also about making every day travel easier and more accessible for everyone.”
City of Newcastle plans to power all public chargers using renewable energy from its Summerhill Solar Farm and a power purchase agreement with the Sapphire Wind Farm. Councillor Declan Clausen, Chair of the council’s Strategy and Innovation Advisory Committee, said the expansion supports both environmental goals and local economies.
“These new chargers are strategically located within key local centres to support economic activity and benefit local businesses,” Cr Clausen said.
The chargers form part of the Newcastle Environment Strategy, which includes a target for 52% of all new car registrations in the city to be electric by 2030–31. So far, more than 1,350 EVs are registered locally — a figure that has increased tenfold in the past four years.
City of Newcastle is also working on a broader EV and Low Emissions Transport Strategy to guide future investment and planning.
