Eighty per cent of electric vehicle owners charge in the home, but public servants who drive a Commonwealth fleet car may still be looking for a place to plug it in, according to a senate hearing.
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The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is in the process of switching over vehicles and currently has 33 EVs in its fleet, but only four are passenger vehicles.
The federal government has committed to replacing 75 per cent of the Commonwealth fleet to EVs by 2023.
Nationals senator Ross Cadell raised concerns in Senate estimates on Monday around available charging infrastructure in government buildings and the ability for public servants to charge at home.
The ACT has the highest rate of new EV sales in Australia, but the estimates hearing heard charging infrastructure, particularly three-phase fast charging points, have a way to go.
Senator Cadell cited an example of a public servant who had contacted him stating the apartment he lived in did not have the capacity to install fast chargers.
"If you're not going to supply [a fast charger] to the government building. How does he charge his vehicle?" Senator Cadell said.
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But the chief financial officer of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Robert Hanlon said "that's a good question. I don't know. I don't have the answer to that, it certainly depends on the building".
Mr Hanlon pointed to a review being carried out to install fast chargers in department-owned buildings.
He said there was an architectural review in the government-owned John Gorton building, and minimum environmental standards were assessed before signing any leases on new buildings.
The Department of Finance holds the exact figures on how many EVs are in the Commonwealth fleet, and what charging infrastructure is in government buildings.
Mr Hanlon said the department had 33 EVs in its fleet, but only four of those were passenger vehicles. He said the department made an assessment at the end of each lease to switch over to an EV.
CCEEW transport division branch head Matthew Ryan said 80 per cent of charging was done in the home, but he acknowledged it was "more challenging" for those who lived in multi-level buildings.
Mr Ryan said the Australian Renewable Energy Agency was looking at incentives for providers to roll out chargers on street light poles, shopping centres or car parks.
He said the NRMA was also in the midst of finalising contracts to deliver 117 new fast chargers on national road networks.
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