The first public on-street electric car charging station in Australia has opened in Sydney, ahead of a planned roll out of similar sites around the country.
The company spearheading the plan on Monday opened the station in Derby Place, Glebe, in the city's inner west. The station can recharge a converted plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius in three hours.
ChargePoint Australia chief executive said the public station is expected to be the first of many, as the firm prepares to conduct charging station pilot programs in Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide later this year.
The Glebe station will provide behavioural and energy usage data vital for the planning of future public stations, he said in a statement on Monday.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, who officially opened the station, said the initiative would help support the council's program to reduce vehicle exhaust emissions and encourage cleaner modes of transport.
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The council is considering purchasing retro-fitted plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and new electric vehicles for its fleet to meet its goal to reduce carbon emissions by 70 per cent from 2006 levels by 2030. The Toyota Prius has an electric motor range of 30km, before it needs recharging.
Other global cities that have charging infrastructure for electric cars include San Francisco, Amsterdam, Philadelphia, Houston, Detroit, Vancouver and London.
