Newcastle eligible for NSW government grants for 500 electric vehicle chargers on kerbside

A statement from Energy Minister Penny Sharpe said most electric-vehicle charging was "done at home", but a third of NSW drivers can't do this because they "don't have access to off-street parking".

"Kerbside charging will provide EV [electric vehicle] drivers with another option to meet their charging needs," the statement said.

Hamilton electric vehicle expert Ian Wilcox said the grants were "great news".

"It's especially good for Newcastle people living in units," Mr Wilcox said.

"The best charging infrastructure is in your garage, if you can do that. The second best will be one of these kerbside chargers on a pole in a street nearby.

"It won't be as cheap, but it'll be pretty convenient."

Mr Wilcox, who runs Newy EV Rentals, said kerbside chargers would give affected people more confidence to buy an electric vehicle.

He said they made sense in suburbs such as Cooks Hill and Wickham.

"Occasionally you see instances of someone with a slow charger going across the footpath to their car. That's not sustainable," Mr Wilcox said.

"We've got to get serious about this and put in proper infrastructure."

Newcastle is the only local government area in the Hunter to be eligible for the grants. The other areas are in Sydney.

The grant includes co-funding up to $800,000 per applicant, 80 per cent of a charger's installation and equipment costs and 80 per cent of a three-year software subscription for a charger.

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