One of the rare operating fast chargers on the Nullarbor Plain is now out of action – to the frustration of EV drivers on the journey between South Australia and Western Australia – after a truck reportedly wiped out the facility’s solar canopy.
The incident at the Border Village fast charging station – operated by the NRMA – was reported online by one EV driver making the journey, Michael Fink.
“Border Village chargers are out of action, apparently taken out by a truck. We are charging at Mundrabilla,” Fink posted on the social media platform X.
Another reader suggested it was potentially an accident waiting to happen at what they rated as the best charger on the Nullarbor journey.
“That was the best charger on the Nullarbor – worked both times (78 kW) we used it in March,” wrote Alex M. Have to say the trucks pass very close as they manoeuvre for fuel. Couldn’t imagine they will repair the solar canopy in a hurry.”
A notice on the Plugshare app used by EV drivers to find EV charging spots confirmed the facility is out of action.
“This charger is currently out of service,” NRMA said in a post dated April 18. “Our Technician is scheduled to investigate and if possible, repair the charger. We hope to be up and running again soon.”
The facility at Border Village has only recently been upgraded, although users found it difficult to use for some EV models, and charging availability across the Nullarbor has long been an issue.
Fink noted that the EV charger at Norseman is also under repair, and noted the slow charging rates at other EV stations along the route, and the fact that he even had to plug in to a power point at a caravan park at one point when the EV charger at Balladonia failed.
He noted that the charging network in remote areas is “shite.”
“A painful day,” he wrote. “If you are intending to cross the Nullarbor and have an EV and a fossil fuel car, take the latter.”
See also: Electric vehicle charging in Australia; are we there yet?
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Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of The Driven, and also edits and founded the Renew Economy and One Step Off The Grid web sites. He has been a journalist for nearly 40 years, is a former business and deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review, and owns a Tesla Model 3.