When Wei Liew was unable to charge his electric vehicle in the remote Queensland outback, the next 100 kilometres were touch-and-go.
With his three-year-old daughter Hayley in the back seat, Mr Liew adopted a can-do attitude, gripped the steering wheel and pushed on to reach his destination.
“The computer in my car said I would reach town with 0.5 per cent battery … that was a close call,” he said.
Wei and Hayley Liew’s trip focused on the natural environment and art. (ABC News: Peter Quattrocelli)
Despite the white-knuckle moment, the Brisbane local considers his recent road trip through the Natural Sciences Loop in Queensland’s far south-west a success.
The tourist route totals more than 2,300 kilometres and takes in towns including Cunnamulla, Charleville and Quilpie, which all have electric vehicle charging stations.
Mr Liew is one of a growing number of motorists travelling vast distances in electric cars, a feat that has only become possible in recent years with the installation of hundreds more charging stations across regional Australia.
According to data, there are now more than 2,000 public charging points throughout the nation.
The Queensland Electric Super Highway has fast-charging stations in 54 towns and cities across the state. (ABC News: Tobi Loftus)
Perth-based EV enthusiast Rob Dean is a long-time member of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association — an EV users’ advocacy group.
He navigated his way around Australia in an EV in 2019 and later, in 2022, drove from WA to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, via the southern coast, for a friend’s wedding.
“[The association] keeps a list, and so far, we’re up to 40 different [electric] cars that have done the complete lap around Australia,” Mr Dean said.
Rob Dean says 400 electric vehicles have completed a lap of Australia. (ABC Radio Perth: Alicia Bridges)
“In the early days, there was not a lot of good charging infrastructure, so it was an adventure.
“The amount of fast DC chargers has certainly improved massively in recent years.”
In Queensland, the state government has invested in a Queensland Electric Super Highway'(QESH) — which has placed fast-charging stations in 54 towns and cities across the state, including in St George and Cunnamulla, which were also on Mr Liew’s itinerary.
Planning crucial for EV road trips
Mr Liew, who took his young daughter on the road trip while his wife was overseas, said driving long distances in an EV compared to a diesel or petrol car just required one extra step – finding where the working charging points were.
When the ABC met him in St George, Mr Liew explained that planning ahead was crucial for any road trip in an electric vehicle.
Wei Liew’s road trip was more than 2,300 kilometres long and relied on charging points in these towns. (ABC News)
“In a diesel car, I can just pack up and go, but in an EV there’s definitely more planning that needs to go into it,” he said.
“We’re often the talk of the town when we arrive … you don’t see many Tesla cars out here.”
Mr Liew said when he couldn’t find a charger, he generally relied on powered campsites to recharge his car’s battery.
“I’d check in, explore the local area for two days, and by the time I needed to head to the next location the car has been charged up,” he said.
Wei Liew travelled more than 2,300 kilometres through the Natural Science Loop in outback Queensland in his electric vehicle. (ABC News: Tobi Loftus)
But his plans went awry in the tiny town of Noccundra, near the South Australian border, when he discovered there was nowhere to charge his car, despite thinking there would be power at the campground.
So, he was forced to continue on to Thargomindah — watching his battery power decrease over the 118-kilometre journey.
Fortunately, his daughter’s iPad was fully charged and kept her entertained between stops on the 2,300-kilometre round-trip.
A record high of 45,000 electric vehicles are registered in Queensland. (ABC News: Tobi Loftus)
Charging points ‘unreliable’
Mr Dean said despite the increase in charging points, there was still a large reliability issue across much of Australia.
“[Some providers] aren’t doing enough to keep [the chargers] reliable, and that’s a real issue,” he said.
“Basically, they’re breaking down a bit too much. They’re failing, and when they do fail, the repair times are just too slow.”
Mr Dean said this had become a greater anxiety for drivers than the cars’ built-in range.
“If a fuel bowser breaks, it’s repaired immediately, within the day … because there is competition between the fuel companies, and they don’t dare have one of their fuel bowsers not working,” he said.
In Queensland, the number of electric vehicles registered had climbed to almost 45,000 by June.
In the second quarter of this year alone, according to data from the Australian Automotive Association, about 5,700 Battery Electric Vehicles were sold in Queensland.
In New South Wales 7,200 EVs were sold, while in Victorians bought 6,800 electric vehicles.
Despite the record number of EVs registered, according to the Queensland government’s Electric Vehicle Snapshot for June 2024, usage of chargers on the ‘super highway’ has been slightly declining since about January this year.
A growing number of Australians travelling across vast rural areas in electric vehicles. (ABC News: Tobi Loftus)
Mr Dean said he believed this drop was because the ‘highway’ wasn’t convenient for tourists, especially given the lack of chargers in key tourist transit areas – such as the town of Camooweal, on the major road between Queensland and the Northern Territory.
“At the moment, people are charging their cars at a mechanic shop [in Camooweal] … this has been going on for seven years now,” he said.
But a spokesperson for Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads said the reason for the decline in charger usage could be attributed to the world’s favourite cartoon blue heeler and Brisbane resident, Bluey.
Could Bluey be to blame for the closure of a crucial charging point?
“A decline in QESH usage in recent months may be attributed to a number of factors, including the decommissioning of the Hamilton QESH site … [in May], which was closed due to construction of the new Bluey’s World centre,” the spokesperson said.
“The Hamilton QESH site was one of the most utilised charging stations in Queensland, and its closure has had a significant impact on total usage data across the QESH network.”
The spokesperson said a new charger at Hamilton was being developed, and there were plans for a charger to be installed at Camooweal – funded through the Australian government’s Driving the Nation Fund.