The Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve is now hosting the Hepburn Shire’s third electric vehicle (EV) charging station thanks to a collaboration led by Chargefox with partners Hepburn Energy, the Hepburn Shire Council and Central Highlands Water. This project received co-funding from the State Government’s Destination Charging Across Victoria Program and was installed by Fells Electrical.
The new EV charger at Hepburn Springs is the second installed as part of this project. Another was recently launched the Creswick Visitor Information Centre. These stations are helping the region’s tourism industry become more sustainable while strengthening Shire-wide efforts to reach zero-net emissions by 2030 as part of the Hepburn Z-NET partnership.
The Destination Charging Across Victoria Program stems from the State Government’s Zero Emissions Vehicle roadmap that aims to install fast-charging stations in high-use regional areas and tourist locations in Victoria.
Earlier in the year, Hepburn Energy partnered with the Good Car Co to deliver a second EV bulk-buy for the region, which sold eight vehicles. With uptake increasing, it’s essential that charging infrastructure keeps up with community interest.
This is why more stations are in the pipeline, with two more planned for Trentham and Clunes. These stations will help community members and travellers adopt and drive electric vehicles without worrying about their range. All charging stations will be deployed on the Chargefox network, Australia’s largest EV charging network.
Hepburn Energy’s General Manager, Taryn Lane, has been excited to see this collaboration contribute to local zero-net emissions efforts, delivering another EV charging station.
“Each EV station installed takes a crucial step towards decarbonising local transport and contributing to our Hepburn Z-NET zero-net emissions target for 2030. And with these new chargers, community members and tourists can feel confident making this shift.”
Mayor of Hepburn Shire, Cr Brian Hood said “We are well on the way to creating a local EV charging network that encourages tourism to our region and helps support locals who have made the switch, or are thinking of making the switch, to electric vehicles. These community-Council partnerships create strong environmental, social and economic outcomes for our Shire. We are proud to be involved in this important project.”
Chargefox CEO stated “Hepburn Shire has long been a pioneer in how collaboration can provide equitable access to renewable energy and sustainable technologies. This is a perfect match for our approach at Chargefox – to provide equitable access to EV charging by working with like-minded organisations and communities.”
If you would like to find out more about the project, visit the Hepburn Z-NET website.
