The first round of the Future Fuels Fund is now open and is designed to boost the Electric Vehicle (EV) market, by increasing the number of charging stations available to the public.
Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has $71.9M of funding available for round one, which closes on Tuesday 6 April 2021. Of the $71.9M, $16.5M is available for the development of fast charging stations across capital cities and key regional centres.
To ensure a network of charging stations are built, each region will receive a minimum of four fast charging stations. The targeted regions are expected to be the Central Coast of NSW, Wollongong, Geelong, Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast.
Applicants are expected to provide solutions to maximise the coverage of their charging stations across each region. Opportunities should be delivered over the next 2 years, with the fast charging stations powered by renewable energy.
Round one is designed to instill confidence in the community, that charging stations will be available for the emerging EV fleet. As the charging stations are spread across the east coast there will also be the added benefit of extending the range for EV’s to travel.
Future funding will allow the barriers to entry to be reduced by:
- supporting more infrastructure for regional Australians,
- reducing charging blackspots and,
- adding hydrogen and biofuel opportunities.
The Future Fuels Fund is part of the Federal Government’s Future Fuels Strategy discussion paper. The paper outlines:
- the vision to create an environment that enables consumer choice
- stimulates industry development and,
- reduces emissions in the road transport sector
ARENA has previously funded charging projects, including fast charging networks on major highways being rolled out by Chargefox and Evie Networks.
