One of Australia's biggest electric vehicle charging networks will no longer be free to use with the NRMA revealing plans to charge motorists.
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The organisation, which operates a network of more than 50 vehicle charging stations throughout NSW, with some in South Australia and Victoria, announced plans to start collecting payment from users on Monday.
The first charging stations affected by the change are in Sydney's Olympic Park, Wallsend in Newcastle, and Picton in southwest Sydney.
Industry experts said the move was not unexpected and could be welcomed by many drivers as a way to ensure only those who needed to recharge their vehicles at public stations did so.
In a statement, the NRMA confirmed plans to collect payments for the use of its infrastructure, saying it had "prioritised the rollout of the network before seeking to apply costs to customers".
Users will be charged 54 cents per kilowatt for standard charging and 59 cents per kilowatt for ultra-fast charging, with the entire network expected to transition to pay-for-use by the end of October.
A spokeswoman told AAP the NRMA had provided 74,795 vehicle-charging sessions during the last financial year.
The news comes just one week after the NSW government announced the end of its $3000 rebate on the purchase of new electric vehicles.
Australian Electric Vehicle Association national president Chris Jones said many drivers were fed up seeing the NRMA network used by people who did not need it.
"You'll see the people who actually need to charge charging their vehicles at those stations now and the people who don't need to charge will find somewhere else," he said.
"It's going to be cheaper to charge your vehicle at home or at work and people should opt to do that as the priority and save people who are in a hurry and genuinely need it."
Dr Jones said he expected NRMA's charging stations to remain popular given their locations along major travel routes but charging for their use could reduce queues during holidays.
"You'll still see people queuing up to use it during peak periods because they want to get on their way but you won't see locals or near locals using them because they happen to be on a coffee break," he said.
The NRMA will also extend its electric vehicle charging network after receiving $78.6 million from the federal government in April to build an additional 117 fast-charging stations.
Australia had more than 900 electric vehicle chargers in 558 locations by July, according to the Electric Vehicle Council, including 438 locations with fast chargers.
Australian Associated Press
