The five-hour charging queues that frustrated drivers over Easter may soon become the norm, as demand surges faster than Australia can build the infrastructure to support it.
From regional Victoria to South Australia to New South Wales, scenes of long lines and stranded drivers exposed what many are now calling a ‘disaster’ state of the nation’s charging network, with some motorists waiting hours just to plug in.
On Monday, we reported one case, where up to 10 cars were seen waiting for just three chargers at a key regional stop, highlighting how quickly the system can clog during peak travel periods.
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At the busy Albury-Wodonga corridor, a key route between Melbourne and Sydney, drivers were forced to line up at one of the country’s largest charging hubs, with wait times blowing out despite 16 high-speed charging stalls on site.
Further south, drivers waited more than six hours and in Euroa, Victoria, at least nine vehicles lined up, with drivers creating their own numbering system to manage the wait.
But the situation is only going to get worse.
As petrol prices continue to remain high, sitting above $2 a litre and diesel pushing past $4 in some locations, Australians are turning to EVs.
EV sales have jumped sharply in 2026, with registrations up to around 40-50 per cent year-on-year and nearly 12 per cent of all new car sales are electric.
Several automakers have also reported the spike as immediate and significant.
BYD confirmed inquiries have surged by 50 per cent following the global fuel shock, with thousands of new orders.
“We’re seeing people who were ordinarily in the market for a petrol vehicle now changing their mind,” a spokesperson said.
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But while demand is accelerating, Australia’s charging networking is lagging behind.
Nationwide we have approximately 300,000 to 350,000 EVs on the road, competing for approximately 5,000 public charging sites, many which are slower AC units, and only a small portion are ultra-fast chargers.
Even with thousands of plugs, the ratio of cars to chargers remains high, with an estimated 40-45 vehicles competing for each public site, far behind global leaders like China and Norway.
China has built the world’s largest charging network, with more than 21 million charging points, including millions of public chargers, with nearly half of those high-speed DC units.
In Europe, countries like Norway often seen as the global benchmark, took a similar approach, rolling out infrastructure early to support adoption.
Both countries built their infrastructure ahead of demand.
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The Federal Government has committed significant funding to expand the network, including a $500 million “Driving the Nation” fund aimed at building a national fast-charging network, alongside a $40 million rollout targeting kerbside charging and regional black spots.
State governments are also doing more, with New South Wales currently funding more than 100 new fast-charging zones requiring ultra-fast 240kW chargers.
Major partnerships between government and private operators are underway, with networks like NRMA rolling out more than 100 fast-charging sites to connect national highways, while private companies such as Evie, BP and Ampol are working to install thousands of additional high speed-plugs by the end of 2026.
But even with billions invested, the rollout is now immediate.
Industry sources say one of the biggest challenges isn’t funding but the grid. Historically, it has taken up to 12 to 18 months to connect a new fast charger to the electricity network.
