Over the Easter long weekend, my partner and I had the opportunity to borrow an electric vehicle (EV) for a camping trip in south-west Victoria. With unleaded petrol prices still hovering around $2.30 a litre, we jumped at the opportunity, knowing it would save us a few hundred dollars for the 4.5-hour each-way trip, alongside what would be plenty of driving to the beach and into the nearest town, Portland, for supplies.
What we didn’t account for was the added time and stress a fully electric car would place on what was supposed to be a relaxing getaway with friends.
Setting off from Melbourne at around 9.30am, in Camperdown, two hours west, we first ran into an issue that would define the weekend. With only one of the two fast-charging ports compatible with the 2021 Hyundai Kona we were driving, there was an initial wait as it was occupied on arrival.
We quickly learnt there was a crucial trade-off. Do you play music through the car’s bluetooth speaker system and use the heating system (which drains the battery), or drive for longer without stopping for a recharge?
After our first stop and wait took far longer than anticipated, we chose distance.
Another stop in Port Fairy to ensure we had enough battery for our remote campsite beyond Portland, and another wait as we found two cars ahead of us to again use the only compatible port in the town.
For EVs to continue replacing petrol-powered cars, consumers need to know they won’t be trading cost for convenience.
It was past 5pm when we eventually rolled into camp to find our group’s tent’s set up, fire roasting and several beers already drunk. A 4.5-hour trip quickly went beyond 7 hours.
A next-day top-up at Portland’s only fast-charging station, operated by Evie, meant another multiple car line to gain access to the only CCS2 port available without making the 76-kilometre drive back to Port Fairy. Tragically, I almost missed our fish and chips lunch.
There are a number of important caveats to note here.
- We were driving down the coast on one of the busiest weekends of the year, and the last proper holiday before a long Victorian winter. The roads were bound to be busy.
- Australia is in the midst of a fuel crisis. Two days before, the prime minister had urged Australians to “enjoy your Easter”, with many fearing it could be their last break for a while. Our slight inconvenience pales in comparison to the cost many Australians have had to bear as a result of petrol prices surging.
- This is in no part a criticism of electric vehicles, but the infrastructure Australia has for their owners.
- If you’re only driving your EV around the city and suburbs, you can charge at home. No dramas.
After rapid growth across 2022 and 2023, EV sales have stagnated since, according to the Australian Automobile Association. Instead, hybrid-engine cars are being sold at a quicker rate.
But as the oil crisis developed over March, Australians went out and bought EVs in droves. Battery-electric vehicles accounted for 14.6 per cent of total car sales in March, which, according to Carsales, is the highest share on record. That was a 42 per cent rise on February and an 89 per cent rise on March 2025.
With the Iran war providing a shock to the system, inconsistent sales growth has meant the infrastructure built to cater for the number of EVs on the roads has been patchy. There are 1272 public fast-charging sites across the country, according to the latest figures from the Electric Vehicle Council in late 2025. Of those, 357 are in NSW and 311 in Victoria, and the vast majority are in metro locations. With 3436 plugs in total, this gives each station on average just below three charging points each.
Even then, the power available at each site dictates just how much time out of your day you will be spending waiting to get back on the road. Some, as we found, were out of service or working at a lower rate.
The number of fast-charging points (24-99kW) in NSW and Victoria far outweigh the number of ultrafast ones (100kW and above). In Victoria, that figure is greater than a 2:1 split, while in Western Australia and South Australia, ultrafast charging points outweigh slower ones, reflecting their more sparsely populated states. Tasmania, meanwhile, has only nine ultrafast chargers compared to 44 fast ones, reflecting its status as a smaller state.
For EVs to continue replacing petrol-powered cars, consumers need to know they won’t be trading cost for convenience. Some EV owners opt to charge fully, while others choose to charge to get them to their next charge. Every stop, another owner will eventually ask “what are you charging to?” to guesstimate their wait.
Taking all of this into account, this isn’t to say “don’t buy an EV”. It is to say that the infrastructure is lagging the rollout.
In September, the Albanese government announced $40 million towards expanding kerbside and fast charging points. But lines across the country on the Easter break, not just in the charging point black zone of south-west Victoria, showed this isn’t happening fast enough.
It was a similar story on the way home, with an 8.30am departure and 3.30pm arrival. If the government wants to encourage Australians to do their part in the net zero transition, they must ensure that isn’t an imposition on the buyer.
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