City of Newcastle is looking into future charging options for electric vehicle (EV) drivers who park on the street.
At its Ordinary Meeting tomorrow night, council will discuss two notices of motion concerning the future of EVs in the region.
The first, concerns a future upgrade for the Adamstown Local Centre, and asks council to incorporate public EV charging into their plans for the area.
The second asks council to provide the best possible solutions for curbside residential charging in its planning and policy for the city moving forward.
Councillor Carol Duncan, said the City of Newcastle is committed to moving forward with sustainability issues.
"We know that EVs are coming at us really rapidly. We've got the internal combustion manufacturers already giving us deadlines on production, so that is going to cease. What we want to do is make sure that the city and residents are ready and catered for as that change comes through," Ms Duncan said.
One option being considered by council would see EVs charged on the street using power poles.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is currently running a number of trials for the solution, with council awaiting results.
"If you think about quite a lot of the suburbs surrounding the city, there are a lot of residents who don't have off-street parking. How are they going to be catered for as that move to EVs comes through?" Ms Duncan noted.
She also said council will consider all viable charging options before the switch is made.
"A conduit that is run under your footpath and bored out with water and a little pop-up station next to your car, is that a solution? Is the EVs on power poles trial part of the solution? Or is an overhead arm part of the solution?"
"What I really want to make sure of is that we've investigated all the possibilities, so that when people come to us and ask for it, we have the solutions in-hand to offer them," she said.
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