With the rollout of the SA Government/RAA charging network almost complete, AEVA SA Committee Member Ray Ellison reports:
Since receiving our MG4 at the end of January my wife and I have begun exploring some of regional SA in all electric mode and taking advantage of the new RAA charging network. The experience has been thoroughly enjoyable and successful, even while towing a trailer on a couple of occasions.
Our first trip away was to visit the Yorke peninsula. We loaded up the car with our camping gear and drove to Ardrossan via Port Wakefield. While we didn’t actually need to charge, I was keen to try out every charger we encountered along the way and accordingly the Port Wakefield Kempower charger was our first stop.
The charger is located in 29 Burra St well away from the main highway and services but near the swimming lake and amenities. This makes for a quieter stop. The charger is off the road in an open space and can accommodate a trailer if it’s not already in use by others.
Charging was quick and started easily with our Chargefox RFID card.
Arriving in Ardrossan later in the day we were pleasantly surprised to find the new RAA charger to be located across the road from the caravan park and only 100M from the main street.
The site cannot handle trailers but there is plenty of space for disability access. As with all of these sites, a couple of Type 2 chargers are available in the unlikely event of a fault in the Kempower unit. While touring the Yorke peninsula, we also visited Minlaton and checked out the new charger there new charger there at 18 Fourth Street.
This charger is located in the centre medium strip and can easily handle charging while towing a trailer or van. We stayed in Ardrossan for a whole weekend and used the V2L to run our campsite, charging across the road before heading home.
Our next jaunt away was a trip to Moonta in the Northern Yorke Peninsula. This time we towed our 6x4 trailer to help with a house move. We charged in the evening at the Kadina charging station in the Francis St parking lot.
The site is well located near shops and amenities but is not suitable for trailers so we left ours behind at our accommodation. The site is equipped with both CS2 and CHAdeMO and has Type 2 as a backup.
In August we decided to take a trip to Quorn, travelling north a little further inland than the usual route. Whilst we didn’t really need to charge, we wanted to test out our charging options and stopped at Snowtown for a rest and top-up. The Snowtown site is located on the highway across from the township adjacent to the Perrys roadhouse.
It’s a large site equipped with three CCS2 and one CHAdeMO charger as well as a type 2 as a backup. The site is sheltered and can accommodate disability access but a trailer makes charging a bit squeezy.
From Snowtown we journeyed north via Crystal Brook, Gladstone, Laura, Melrose and stopped at Wilmington for our next charge. The Wilmington site is located on the roadside at the northern end of the main street.
Amenities are right next to the charger. This was the first time we’ve shared a charger with another EV but the charging was as before, quick and effortless. We found a café about 100M away to grab a bite and a drink and were on the road again after about 20 mins or so.
There were no street charging facilities in Quorn so we charged again at Wilmington on the return trip.
Driving south we next stopped in Clare at the Gleeson St charging station for a charge and some lunch.
The charging station is oddly located about 100M from the main street across the Hutt River. With all the bays backed up against a fence there’s no room for trailers but the bays are spaced well apart for wheelchair access. There's a footbridge allowing access to the main street.
We have also visited the Fleurieu Peninsula and charged at the RAA sites located in Normanville
and Victor Harbour as shown below.
Charging at Victor Harbor allowed me to use my shiny new AEVA charging card which worked perfectly.
In summary, the RAA regional network of chargers seems to be located well throughout the state, making best use of the available infrastructure and local conveniences.
While there is room for improvement in availability of CHAdeMO sites, the rollout of type 2 and CCS sites throughout makes for no stress travel to most regions of the state.