Public EV charger on its way to Bright

One of these chargers will be located in Bright. 

Alpine Shire Mayor John Forsyth said the charger, which is set to be installed by July this year, will be the first publicly accessible fast charger, compatible with all EV brands, in the municipality.

“The installation of this charger in Bright is in line with Council’s commitment to supporting the community to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.

“It also supports the Victorian Government’s target of 50% of all new light vehicles sales to be Zero Emissions Vehicles by 2030.

“The charger will be powered by green energy and located walking distance to the town centre.

“Not only will it boost the number of EV drivers stopping in Bright to recharge and explore the town, it puts the whole Alpine Shire on the map for EV owners.

“This charger will allow more EV drivers to visit the region with the confidence that they can top up on charge when needed.

“It’s also great motivation for our locals to make the choice to move to an EV.”

Council has supported Evie Networks to find a suitable location that is close to the town centre yet minimises disruptions to parking.

The final location for the charger will be 12 Wills Street, in the carpark across the road from the rear of IGA supermarket and Bright Library.

There will be two side-by-side accessible parking bays serviced by a dual port EV fast charger, which can concurrently charge two EVs.

Council adopted its Climate Action Plan in September 2021, highlighting the importance of leading the community in making climate-positive choices.

Part the organisation’s commitment to climate action is to lead shire-wide action through mitigation, adaptation and resilience initiatives.

Cr Forsyth said Council is investigating how to encourage the installation of more EV chargers on Council land across the Shire.

“This is an exciting step towards a Shire-wide network of public EV chargers,” he said.

“As EVs become more commonplace, we know the demand for a reliable network of chargers across the Shire will continue to grow.

“We hope to work with other commercial operators to install public chargers in Myrtleford and Mount Beauty into the future.

“It will be exciting to see what we can achieve towards this important environmental goal.”