Ditching the Petrol Pump: How Australians are Embracing EVs Without Home Charging
The shift from traditional petrol cars to electric vehicles (EVs) is no longer a distant dream for many Australians; it’s a rapidly accelerating reality. While the image of a dedicated home charger often conjures up the idea of effortless EV ownership, a growing number of drivers are proving that this isn’t the only path to an electric future. For those living in apartments, renting, or without off-street parking, the question of “where do I plug it in?” can seem like an insurmountable hurdle. However, an increasing number of Australian motorists are successfully navigating EV ownership by relying predominantly on public charging infrastructure, finding it not just feasible, but surprisingly convenient.
We’ve spoken to three individuals who have made the switch from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to EVs without the luxury of a home charging setup, and their experiences offer a compelling insight into how it’s done.
The Sustainability Advocate’s Seamless Integration
Kate McHugh, a sustainability expert, decided it was time to upgrade her 13-year-old Volkswagen Golf last December. Her new electric vehicle, a Volvo XC40, wasn’t just a practical choice; it was a personal commitment to her professional values.
“I work in the sustainability space… so it was part of, I guess, walking the talk,” Kate explains. “It’s the way of the future, and I think that – longer term – combustion vehicles are on their way out. I wanted a car that I’d have for a few years, and my understanding was that the operating costs would be significantly cheaper.”
Before making the leap, Kate sought advice from a fellow apartment dweller who had successfully adopted an EV lifestyle. This friend managed their charging needs by checking local plug availability weekly via an app. Taking this advice to heart, Kate identified a public charging station at the Rose Bay foreshore, which conveniently fitted into her existing morning routine.
“I take my car, park it in a public car park on the foreshore, leave the car on charge, and go out and I do my ocean ski paddle session in the morning. By the time I come back, my car is fully charged,” she says.
Kate reports her Volvo XC40 offers a range of 400 to 500 kilometres on a single charge. For her typical driving habits, this translates to about two and a half weeks between charges, though this can vary depending on her travel volume.
While Kate acknowledges that EV ownership requires a slightly more organised approach than managing a petrol car, she views the charging time as far more productive than the traditional petrol station experience. Instead of passively waiting at a pump, her charging periods are opportunities to enjoy a coffee, browse shops, or grab a meal.
“People think that, when they stop for petrol, it’s just two minutes, but actually, you pull up, you wait for a bowser, you then fill the car, you queue up to pay,” she observes. “And if you’re on a long-distance trip, you usually frigg around in the servo for half an hour anyway.”
The technology in her Volvo has also proven to be a helpful ally. When planning longer journeys or heading to unfamiliar destinations, the car’s navigation system actively assists in finding charging points.
“In my car, which is a Volvo XC40, if I’m low on charge and I put a destination into Google Maps, it will offer to route me past a charger and tell me how long I have to stop and how much charge I’ll have left. The technology in some of the cars is such that it actively helps you.”
Navigating Distances and Savings: A Melbourne Mum’s EV Journey
For Erinna Giblin, a Melbourne mother of two, holiday travel was a significant consideration when she began exploring the possibility of an EV purchase about a month ago. She and her partner, Tom, frequently travel over 300 kilometres to Albury to visit Erinna’s parents.
“I was aware – because I originally come from a regional city – that you don’t want to get stuck,” Erinna admits.
This concern, however, did not deter her from switching from an ICE vehicle, especially given the surge in petrol prices following the conflict in the Middle East.
“This was just before the government announced that they were going to cut the fuel excise temporarily, so petrol prices were going through the roof. The last time I filled up, my car was only a quarter empty, and it was over $45, and I was like – ‘this has to end’.”
After researching the tax advantages of EV novated leases and learning that her parents could comfortably make the journey from Albury to Melbourne in their Volkswagen ID.4, Erinna found and purchased an ex-display Volkswagen ID.5.
“I was never going to buy a hatchback with like a 100km range,” Erinna states. “When I’ve spoken to colleagues at work who might have a BYD or a different brand and their ranges are less, they’ve said ‘Oh yeah, the Volkswagen, that’s got a really good battery’.”
Similar to Kate and Rosco, Erinna does not have off-street parking. However, she found reassurance in the experience of a friend who relies entirely on an ultra-rapid charger for just 20 minutes on Sunday afternoons.
“I downloaded the Plug Share app that has up-to-the-minute, live availability, and an interactive map. So it’s really easy to just find one that’s nearby. And if you start to look, they’re popping up all over the place,” she enthuses.
“I’ve never had that range anxiety that people talk about. It was actually inconveniently fast last weekend. We went to the shops to pick up some things… it was at maybe 20 per cent and it got to 80 per cent in 20 minutes, so Tom had to go back and move the car – we wanted it to be longer!”
For Erinna, the transition to an EV has brought about greater financial flexibility.
“Rising petrol prices were the biggest deciding factor. We were paying off a regular car loan that wasn’t a novated lease… we probably had about $24,000 owing on that car,” she recalls. “The thought that was occurring to me very strongly was ‘this is a depreciating asset that I’m paying off’.”
Now, her charging costs are around $15 per charge, which is covered under her novated lease.
“Everything just kind of culminated in it being the right choice, and I’m really happy with it.”
The Early Adopter’s Public Charging Success Story
Rosco, an EV advocate and owner of Sydney-based used EV business Amazing EV, was an early adopter of the Tesla Model Y. Despite living in a Potts Point apartment complex with no existing charging facilities, he took the plunge in 2022.
“I decided to just jump in without any real plans or approvals in the apartment block, just to see if I could rely purely on the public network,” Rosco shares.
Living in Potts Point meant that chargers weren’t immediately outside his residence, but he quickly established a routine utilising the local public network.
“We are lucky to have three or four Tesla charging stations within a 10-kilometre radius. I used to go to the Broadway shopping centre, park in the basement charging area, and take the lift straight up to do my grocery shopping. Twenty minutes later, job’s done, the charging was finished.”
Prior to switching to an EV, Rosco drove a Volkswagen Tiguan, which cost him approximately $120 per week for 550km of fuel. Now, he leverages Tesla’s off-peak charging rates to significantly reduce his expenses.
“During the daytime, charging can cost 60 or 70 cents per kilowatt-hour, but off-peak early in the morning or in the evening, it can be down to 35 or 40 cents,” he explains. “If you’re spending 35 cents a kilowatt-hour, and it’s a full 60-kilowatt-hour tank, that’s $18.”
Rosco did investigate the possibility of installing a personal charger in his apartment block, but the financial projections didn’t align.
“By the time we did the calculations for a piecemeal, one-off installation, it would have been a 10-year payback period. Because my public charging experience has been so good, it just didn’t bother me. The chargers work 999 times out of 1000.”
While Rosco likely drives more kilometres per week than the average Australian, he concedes that relying on the public network is generally more practical for city dwellers than for those undertaking long regional commutes or extensive road trips.
“I can’t recount stories about the holiday travel experience. We don’t have children, we don’t travel in the holiday time,” he commented. “When everyone goes on holiday, yeah, it’s a different scenario and every holiday system is stretched.”
However, he believes that by relying on the Tesla network, as he does in the city, he would likely manage a road trip if the occasion arose.
“On the screen [of the car] it tells you if there’s no vacancies. The network knows what’s available, how close it is and how far you’ve got to get there. It’s good when you’re trip planning.”
These individuals are testament to the fact that EV ownership is becoming increasingly accessible, even for those without the convenience of a private charging station. With a little planning and an understanding of the growing public charging infrastructure, the electric revolution is well within reach for a broader segment of the Australian population.
