NT’s first public car charging station opens at CDU

The Northern Territory’s first public electric vehicle charging station was officially opened at Charles Darwin University’s Casuarina campus today.

Powered by a system of 52 solar power panels, the station is available to the public to use free of cost to charge electric and “plug in” hybrid vehicles.

CDU Vice-Chancellor Professor Barney Glover said the double-bay station was capable of fast-charging a battery to 80 per cent of its capacity within half an hour, while a plug-in charge would take several hours.

“On average, the station generates 70KWh of electricity each day, and the electric cars will draw around 30KWh of power for a full charge,” Professor Glover said.

“Excess power is fed into the grid, saving the university around $6500 in electricity bills each year, which is the equivalent of powering two average homes for a year.

“This is the first station of its kind in the NT, which hopefully will inspire the development of a network of similar facilities throughout the region.”

CDU’s Casuarina and Palmerston campus passenger fleets comprise only hybrid and electric vehicles.

The most recent addition to the fleet is the Nissan Leaf, which is nearly $4 per 100 kilometres cheaper to run than a Toyota Prius. The vehicle is designed to be a zero emission vehicle and 95 per cent recyclable. 

“The Nissan Leaf and similar electric vehicles have a range of 170 kilometres, and considering the majority of Australians travel less than 80 kilometres a day, these vehicles are really becoming viable options,” Professor Glover said.

The next vehicle to be added to the CDU fleet is a two-tonne truck.

The station is located in Car Park Orange C adjacent to Building 12, Orange Precinct at the CDU Casuarina campus.