Outback Charging Odyssey — Getting the Regions Ready – CleanTechnica

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As electric vehicles slowly make their way out of the cities and into more rural areas, the charging infrastructure must be ready for them. Arran Bloomfield of ReGenev recently undertook charging installations in the mid New South Wales coast at Newcastle, inland at Collarenebri — west of Tamworth and further west and north at Goondiwindi. I had the pleasure of interviewing him about his Outback Charging Odyssey.

Majella and I have had experience interacting with regional areas in Queensland, but not our southern neighbour New South Wales, so I was curious to find out how Arran and his team were received. Thankfully, Arran took the time to document his trip with videos and photos, some of which are embedded in this article.

Newcastle hosts the largest coal-exporting port in the Southern Hemisphere and was the site of recent environmental protests. Tamworth is the country music capital of Australia, and Goondiwindi is famous for a racehorse, Gunsynd, the Goondiwindi Grey.

Arran told me about the trip and the work done by his teams: “In a recent collaboration, ReGenEV received an email from another electrical contracting company seeking assistance with compliance and certification for the installation of Tritium chargers at a BP site. With our certification to repair and install Tritium DC Fast chargers, we were thrilled to lend our expertise to the rollout of 100 Tritium 150kW PKM chargers across Australia.”

I asked about the current status of Tritium: “Tritium are still active and are operating, as there are still a number of chargers in the market. Tritium have product that needs maintaining and devices that have still not been commissioned.

“This request for assistance with the Tritium chargers came at a fortuitous moment for the ReGenEV charging installation team, as we were already preparing for several projects in the same region. By strategically combining our efforts, we were able to deploy multiple teams in the mid to northern part of New South Wales simultaneously. Our Queensland technicians joined us to set up payment systems and commission the chargers—an intricate process that benefits from the experience of our head office team.

“Our base of operations was the Beachcomber Resort in Toukley (750 km south of our headquarters on the Gold Coast), where we were able to install four Tesla wall connectors available for all guests and EVs. The resort plans to charge a fee per kWh, allowing visitors to relax while their vehicles are powered up.”[Arran has provided a video containing the technical details here.]

For those needing further explanation, as I did, Gary Voltz provided this explanation: “The Tesla Wall Connectors have a feature that allows them to be grouped so that if every one of the units was plugged in, the combined load would not exceed the available supply fuse at the switchboard. For example, if 4 cars are each drawing 16-amp single phase, that’s a total of 64 amps. If the building fuse is only 60 amps, the chargers can be configured to automatically load share and limit the total load to avoid blowing fuses. Two or 3 cars would be able to charge flat out, but when the 4th connects, they all go back to the total limit set. Likewise, if 4 cars are drawing 32 amps. That’s a total of 128 amps, and if the building fuse is 100 amp, they can be limited 2 cars.” Thanks, Gary.

Back to Arran’s Odyssey: “Doug Fraser, my business manager, and I made daily commutes to Newcastle from Toukley (about an hour away) to oversee the Tritium installations. After completing the Beachcomber project, we headed to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Terrigal (another 100 km south) to assist with payment setups for four previously installed charging devices. So that’s three projects on this road/work trip. Each project varied in terms of the size and complexity. The Tritium install went over two days, the Toukley job was over 2 days, the Collarenebri job was a half day rectification and the Terrigal install was a 2 day process.

“The NSW government grant for Destination Charging has significantly boosted charging infrastructure in remote areas, and our efforts on the Central Coast have set the stage for further expansion. [You can read more about government grants here.] After wrapping up those installations, Doug and I ventured west to install a Tesla wall connector. We found a cozy spot to stay in Nelson Bay, (140 km north) where I was enchanted by its beauty. Sadly, it was a short visit to this tourist spot.”

“With a full charge, we navigated west 140 km to the Tesla Superchargers at Pukara Estate, a picturesque winery in Jerry’s Plains, before heading towards Tamworth another 200 km north. After a quick refreshment and a video of the area (you can see the video here ) we continued another 243 km to Moree for a meal and another charge before our final leg to Collarenebri — 140 km. The DC fast chargers in Moree worked flawlessly, and we signed up with NRMA for convenient charging.

“Our arrival in Collarenebri at 8:30 PM was warmly anticipated by the local pub staff, who had kindly arranged our dinner order. An old-fashioned steak and veggies awaited us, a perfect end to a long day. The hospitality we experienced at the Tattersalls Hotel was exceptional, and we were grateful for the assistance of local nurse Rolli, who helped us charge our car overnight. We had travelled over 2000 km on our installation Odyssey so far.

“The next morning, we efficiently replaced the Tesla Gen 3 charger and ensured everything was functioning optimally before hitting the road for the seven-hour journey back to the Gold Coast. The charger is used by the corporate management of the Heathy Communities Foundation. Our first stop after leaving Collarenebri for a charge was Moree, where we practiced good charging etiquette, ensuring we didn’t overstay our welcome at the DC fast chargers.

“We had spoken to a number of locals while traveling the vast area of northern NSW, we were tipped off that those in Collarenebri would not accept electric vehicles and to be aware that the response to a EV in town may not be well received. When we arrived in town, we were looked after very well. The following day we found a good portion of the health workers surrounding our company EV — a bright green Tesla 3. They called the vehicle the green frog.”

“’These vehicles are no good out here’, one gentleman was saying, ‘If you don’t have a bull bar you will end up in a very dangerous situation!’ The gentlemen went on to say that we would definitely hit a kangaroo and there is also a large possibility that we would hit an emu or wild pig. I agreed that this is probably a reality that I don’t want to experience. This is the same kind of mind set from all the people we had the pleasure of meeting on our journey. After hearing their point of view, we found ourselves in a situation whereby a large kangaroo decided to skip out in front of our Tesla Model 3.

“I believe I was traveling at around 110 km/hour with not much time to respond. I used a combination of regen braking and trying to go with the Roo and head in the same direction to minimize the impact. There was a loud thud and some broken glass, the Roo looked a little dizzy and ran off in a daze. [Tough buggers.] He was fine, I was shaken.

“Doug and I stopped to view the destruction. This is the very thing the locals were referring to. A bit shaken up we assessed the damage to see only a broken light. I would say and most people that I have spoken to have said the Tesla is stronger than you think. I believe we would still be on the side of the road if we were in an ICE vehicle.”

Not quite as bad as the last story I shared about a kangaroo strike.

Arran continues: “To the people of Collarenebri, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the wonderful nurses at the Healthy Community Centre. A special shout-out goes to Roie for taking such great care of us during our time in town. We also want to express our gratitude to Rollie and Mel from Tattersalls Hotel-Motel Collarenebri for arranging our meals on such short notice and ensuring that our stay was comfortable.

“Lastly, a big thank you to Jeremy Goff, Director of the Healthy Community Foundation, for all of your support. We look forward to returning in the future!

“A delightful surprise awaited us in Goondiwindi, where we found the Victoria Hotel, adorned with memorabilia of the legendary racehorse Gunsynd. Our chat with the locals led to a treasure trove of historical newspaper clippings and photos about the horse, which will now be preserved in a local museum. See the video here.

“The famous Goondiwindi Grey is the pride and joy of the town, with its striking grey colour, and the number of high-profile races that the horse had won in its prime. Locals in this town are as proud as punch of this horse. There is a statue of the horse as you enter town.

“We also had the pleasure of viewing photographs and newspaper clippings of the mare in its full stride. We met one of the girls in the pub that was handed a box of this memorabilia. She mentioned that the family had been given the memorabilia after the dad and owner of the house had passed. The family was going to bin everything if the pub didn’t take it. Luckily, this important part of history will remain in the town.

“Our next destination was Toowoomba, where we topped up at the Superchargers and indulged in pizza and refreshments, marking the end of our installation Odyssey. The trip was not only successful but also enjoyable, proving that with careful planning and teamwork, we can overcome challenges and contribute to the growing EV infrastructure across Australia. We look forward to more journeys ahead!”

Thanks for sharing, Arran. If any of you readers have stories to share, let me know! In the meantime, enjoy the videos and the rEVolution!