EV Charging in Australia: How ready are we?

Electric vehicle (EV) penetration has grown exponentially in Australia, off a small base. In the year to April 2023, EVs represented 6.8% of new vehicles sales. For perspective, EV penetration in Australia is around half of peer-group countries which are currently experiencing 12-14%.

There are a number of pressures that are influencing the growth of EVs in Australia, including state and federal incentives, improving battery technology, and the increasing price of fuel. These drivers are set to push Australia’s EV fleet to 100,000 by the end of 2023.

Owners of offices and shopping centres can meet emerging requirements from their customers by offering on-site charging.

CBRE Research conducted a field study of EV charging stations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth to gauge market penetration. In each city, we examined a sample of 20 major prime office buildings with a NABERS rating of 5.5 or 6. We also sampled 10 of the major regional and sub-regional retail shopping centres in each city. It was found that retail shopping centre’s faired much better at a 78% EV charging station penetration compared with office buildings which only achieved a 20% penetration rate.

As EV take-up surges and companies take on ESG responsibilities, it will be increasingly important for everyday consumer locales such as office buildings and retail centres to support EV uptake.