Superchargers in Australia

[RichardV]

Round 1 (2022):

• It should be noted that BP has "pulled the plug" on its sites too. BP won 16 sites with 64 bays, but has built only 1 of them (Seven Hills) the remainder not started.

The Seven Hills BP does not meet the fundings requirements. It is only a single 75 kW unit with two cables. I assume this Seven Hills site was an unfunded site. There is another BP up the road in Seven Hills, where the grant specified, there is no EV charging there. It is possible it was intended to upgrade the single one they put in with a change of venue or that the original site was still their plan. But this is all moot now.

 

[Quickst]

The whole thing seems like a sad mess TBH

I have a different perhaps more benign view
Capital takes a hard nosed approach to where it parks. I think it is important to always reevaluate your investments and business projections.
The growth of the EV charging infrastructure is not mutually exclusive to the growth in the uptake of EV vehicles

 

[SPadival]

Why hasn’t Tesla started selling their supercharger hardware (& software) here. I think Kyle mentioned that they are cheaper than other competitors. Imagine all those NRMA/Chargefox/Evie Tritium units replaced with Tesla supercharger hardware!!

 

[Quickst]

Why hasn’t Tesla started selling their supercharger hardware (& software) here.

Its interesting that Tesla is about the only player who designs/manufactures/ instals/ operates their charging units. Are there any others?

 

[B3AU]

Why hasn’t Tesla started selling their supercharger hardware (& software) here. I think Kyle mentioned that they are cheaper than other competitors. Imagine all those NRMA/Chargefox/Evie Tritium units replaced with Tesla supercharger hardware!!

I believe the software is separate the hardware - eg bp and eg are just using the hardware and their own billing software.

Here's an example site in the UK

https://twitter.com/x/status/1770842013996400872

First non-Tesla branded V4 Superchargers are being deployed

Following Tesla’s foray as a charger hardware supplier, the first non-Tesla-branded V4 Supercharger stations are now being deployed. Last year,...

electrek.co

The app is ugly though

https://twitter.com/x/status/1770851695779602918

https://twitter.com/x/status/1770904496752689384

I forgot to check the Albury ones when I was there at the start of the year? Presumably our V4 units are made in china and therefore always better than things made in Australia (*cough* Tritium *cough*) and hopefully cheaper than the made in US ones.

bp at Fully Charged last year did say they weren't locked into a particular brand, so it would be nice for Australia to follow bp elsewhere and use the Tesla supercharger hardware

 

[BlueStreak2020]

Pun intended?

Whilst I don't mind a pun, I can't take credit for intending it this time.

 

[Quickst]

Tesla sold less than 50% of all EV sold in Australia for calendar year 2023. Imagine if the other 50% stumped up some cash to build an equivalent number of fast chargers...

196 SC bays installed by Tesla in calendar year 2023. Imagine 200 extra Fast chargers....

 

[B3AU]

Tesla sold less than 50% of all EV sold in Australia for calendar year 2023. Imagine if the other 50% stumped up some cash to build an equivalent number of fast chargers...

Imagine if Tesla didn't bother applying for grants for sites they had no intention of building, so someone else could use the funding instead.

Superchargers in Australia

I wonder... As part of his sacking the supercharger team Musk reckons he's going to continue the expansion of the supercharger network. To me it makes good sense to be increasing the number of chargers at existing sites at this stage rather than expanding into new sites. There's little to no...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[Quickst]

Tesla didn't bother applying for grants for sites they had no intention of building,

Huh?.
1)Tesla build then cheaper, faster and more reliably
2) funding is not fully paid until construction completed
3)As Tesla has said, construction that is underway will continue,
4) imagine an extra 200 DCFC by the other EV manufacturers...
5) open to others to step up to the plate.

 

[Jules22]

Imagine if Tesla didn't bother applying for grants for sites they had no intention of building

No evidence at this point that they won't build them, let alone "had no intention"

How have the others faired? Considerably worse to non existent even only attempting a fraction of what Tesla already delivered.

Nothing stopping another player stepping up IF Tesla actually pulled the pin on any of the sites but I doubt we'll see anyone putting their hand up to do so and even less likely based on track record that they'll actually build anything.

 

[B3AU]

Huh?.
1)Tesla build then cheaper and faster.
2) funding is not fully paid until construction completed
3)As Tesla has said, construction that is underway will continue,
4) imagine an extra 200 DCFC by the other EV manufacturers...

1) Except they're not being built anymore
2) Except that funding isn't available for someone else to use
3) There's over half not yet underway. Superchargers in Australia
4) Imagine what some funding would do!

No evidence at this point that they won't build them, let alone "had no intention"

How have the others faired? Considerably worse to non existent even only attempting a fraction of what Tesla already delivered.

Nothing stopping another player stepping up IF Tesla actually pulled the pin on any of the sites but I doubt we'll see anyone putting their hand up to do so and even less likely based on track record that they'll actually build anything.

as mentioned above, NRMA and Tesla were the main non-metro recipients - I can think of a few Ampol sites that were built under the program (Pheasants Nest?), but obviously all these grants that were awarded may not ever be taken advantage of.

 

[Jules22]

1) Except they're not being built anymore
2) Except that funding isn't available for someone else to use
3) There's over half not yet underway. Superchargers in Australia
4) Imagine what some funding would do!

as mentioned above, NRMA and Tesla were the main non-metro recipients - I can think of a few Ampol sites that were built under the program (Pheasants Nest?), but obviously all these grants that were awarded may not ever be taken advantage of.

Again zero evidence at this point on 1 and if there was then the funding would be available for someone else to step in.

 

[B3AU]

Again zero evidence at this point on 1 and if there was then the funding would be available for someone else to step in.

I think we all need to have a little patience, as per Tesla

Superchargers in Australia

I would have thought that it's not easy to just "let go" employees in Australia under the Fair Work Act etc. If these are genuine redundancies (i.e. the entire SC division is no longer part of Tesla’s business and will remain so) then yes, people can be let go immediately provided all...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[Quickst]

1) no evidence
2) no evidence
3) then $$ not paid and available to others. The taxpayer is not paying for the full cost of the supercharger - it's subsidised not fully paid by the taxpayer. Also do you think other players can build for the same cost as Tesla?.
4)imagine what funding from the other EV manufacturers who were the beneficiaries of 50% of the total EV sales in 2023 would have done. 200DCFC? (Assuming they can build at the same cost as Tesla.) or let's say they can't and it's 100DCFC on top of NRMA/EVie/ampcharge/Tesla/etc. Still better right?

I think we all need to have a little patience

Correct. which leads me back to how you arrived at your points 1) to n)

 

[moa999]

Are there any others?

Chargepoint in US/ Europe
(Left Aus some years back)

And while their share price has jumped post the Tesla news, it's a much smaller market cap than a few years ago.

 

[Midnight Man]

Tesla sold less than 50% of all EV sold in Australia for calendar year 2023.

!?!

Unless the figures here (Australia's most popular electric cars in 2023) are wrong, or I've made an addition error, they did sell > 50%?

 

[Vostok]

This Reuters article indicates that BP is still doing Ev charging in "growth" markets; which is according to the article, the US, Britain, German and China. It also mentions that Australia, New Zealand and France were growth countries?

BP said “Australia, New Zealand, and France have been marked as potential growth countries, but they’re not among the four priority countries BP Pulse will focus on” which is code for “we won’t build any more sites in Australia, but we are leaving the door open to change our minds later”.

Tesla nuking its SC Division will likely be used as evidence within BP that it was the right decision.

And yes, all this is undoubtedly going to negatively impact sentiment on EVs. People don’t like uncertainty, and the perception by the non-EV driving public that there isn’t enough public charging availability (and hence why they are not yet considering an EV) is just going to be reinforced even more.

 

[Vostok]

The growth of the EV charging infrastructure is not mutually exclusive to the growth in the uptake of EV vehicles

I’m not sure that came out as you intended it… but a perception of insufficient public EV charging infrastructure will definitely negatively affect the uptake of EVs.

Even people who charge at home will be increasingly worried that on road trips queuing will get worse at existing public chargers, if the pace of build does not keep up with EV growth.

With Tesla nuking its SC Division, and BP walking away from Australia, it seems to be very unlikely that public fast charging build will keep up in the near term, and this will all feed into the “EVs are tanking” narrative and dissuade more and more people from taking the leap. Especially if reports of queuing at chargers starts to increase.

These surveys show (rightly or wrongly) the importance of public charging in the minds of potential EV buyers:

Exploring consumer sentiment on electric-vehicle charging

A new McKinsey survey explores how consumer attitudes about EV charging could influence the electric-vehicle market—and open new opportunities.

www.mckinsey.com

S&P Global Mobility Survey Finds EV Affordability tops Charging and Range Concerns in Slowing EV Demand

Although battery-electric vehicles are getting closer to price parity with their internal combustion siblings, the affordability factor is the main reason consumers are holding back on adopting...

press.spglobal.com

 

[Quickst]

I’m not sure that came out as you intended it

It's as intended.

I think it depends on one's perspective.
Half glass full vs half glass empty. I'm the former.

Additionally, I'm not concerned about how any of this fits in to or not fit into any "narrative". EV uptake will inexorably continue.

 

[aegidius]

On another topic... it might be worth mentioning that on Plugshare, some of the new supercharger sites don't come up if you just show the Tesla(Fast) plug. They come up under CCS2. Select both plugs Tesla(Fast) and CCS2, and show only the Tesla network, and you see them all. I can only assume they will come up in the app or the car, I'll find out when I next get close to one.