Ten electric vehicle fast charging stations will be installed in the Hunter as part of a $24.5 million project that will result in 403 stations being installed across Australia.
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The Hunter charging stations, to be funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), will be located at Rutherford, Raymond Terrace, Newcastle (3), Charlestown, Toronto, Belmont and Caves Beach (2).
The chargers will also be installed at a further seven locations on the Central Coast.
Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor said the chargers represented a seven-fold increase in available power points. They will each be capable of charging at least two vehicles simultaneously at 50 kilowatts or above.
"The government is focused on ensuring Australians can drive their preferred choice of vehicle, be that petrol, diesel, hydrogen or electric powered," Mr Taylor said.
The stations will be built and operated by five companies: Evie Networks, Ampol, Engie, Chargefox and Electric Highways Tasmania.
Evie Networks is owned by energy billionaire Trevor St Baker, who also owns Vales Point power station.
Less than 1 per cent of Australia's new car sales are electric vehicles, however, Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show the number of EVs registered in Australia rose by more than 62 per cent to 23,128 in the 12 months to the end of January this year.
The NSW government announced in June that it would to abolish stamp duty on electric vehicles and incentivise the adoption of the vehicles over the next decade.
The $490 million four-year package includes stamp duty exemptions on purchases of new EVs under $78,000 and cash rebates of $3000 for 25,000 new EV buyers.
It also postpones the imposition of an EV "road user charge" until either 2027 or when new EVs make up 30 per cent of new vehicle purchases.
This charge - which from 2027 will be 2.5c per kilometre in today's dollars - compensates for the government's loss of fuel excise revenue.
The government is aiming to increase EV sales to more than 50 per cent of new cars sold in NSW by 2030, and the "vast majority" of sales by 2035.
This is required for NSW to meet its 2050 net-zero emission target.
ARENA's Future Fuels Fund is a $71.9 million initiative announced in the 2020-21 federal budget to remove barriers to the uptake of new vehicle technologies.
ARENA chief executive Darren Miller said the increased funding pool will significantly expand Australia's fast charging network and remove barriers to the uptake of EVs.
"As the costs of electric vehicles come down, more consumers and fleet users are looking to go electric," he said.
"Expanding the fast charging network will make it easier than ever to drive an electric vehicle in Australia.
"The proposals we received were of such high quality, we were compelled to increase the funding.
"We're delighted to be able to support more than 400 charging stations across the country."
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