Australian regulator drafts rule for 40 million dollar EV charging programme targeting 14,000 chargers
By Eve
The Australian Energy Market Commission has published a draft rule to implement the Commonwealth Government's 40 million dollar Accelerating EV Charging Program, which aims to deploy approximately 14,000 EV chargers in regional blackspots and high density urban areas. Under the proposal, electricity distributors will facilitate private charge point operators installing kerbside infrastructure, with operators holding first refusal on sites and distributors acting as providers of last resort with AC chargers where operators decline. The Commonwealth will fund around 30 per cent of eligible infrastructure costs, with the remaining 70 per cent recovered from consumers through network charges estimated at roughly 1 dollar per year for typical residential customers.
Why it matters
The rule creates a structured procurement pathway for charge point operators to secure urban kerbside sites and regional DC fast charger locations with partial public funding, while establishing a fallback mechanism that guarantees infrastructure deployment even in commercially marginal areas. The framework offers CPOs predictable connection terms and first mover advantage on 14,000 publicly supported charge points across Australia.
Source
- Original title
- “New draft rule to enable $40 million EV charging rollout”
- Published
- 1 October 2026
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