NRMA is filling gaps in Australia’s EV charging network. Here’s where new sites are opening

Remote highways, inland Queensland and South Australia’s Barrier Highway are among the routes gaining new charging options, as NRMA commissions more sites and steps towards more near-future sites.

Australia’s EV charging map is set for some important updates in places where a new pin can make the biggest difference: not just in suburbs, but between regional towns where EV drivers have in the past had to plan a long stretch around a single charger.

The latest from NRMA's Energy team includes three new sites that were commissioned in October, as well as the rebuilt Border Village station, which is back up and running. A standout new opening is Yunta, South Australia, where an off-grid fast-charging site has opened on the A32 Barrier Highway.

The Yunta station is designed for a remote location without a grid connection. It has a 30kW solar array, a 200kWh battery and two 80kW DC chargers, with capacity to charge up to four EVs. Starlink access means drivers can access free Wi-Fi on-site, while a backup diesel generator is there to keep the site available when inclement weather means inadequate solar generation. Importantly, the new stop closes a roughly 300km gap between Broken Hill and the nearest DC charger in South Australia at Peterborough, opening up a DC-charged route through western NSW towards the Clare Valley.

Border Village, at the South Australian end of the Eyre Highway, is another important piece of the remote-road puzzle. The rebuilt site is now operating again, restoring a charging stop on the long crossing between South Australia and Western Australia.

New stops across Queensland

In Queensland, recent additions and works in progress are aimed at connecting more of the state’s inland routes. NRMA has installed fast chargers at Dingo, about 125km east of Emerald, and Alpha, about 160km west of Emerald. The two sites help link Rockhampton with communities further west, including Barcaldine and beyond.

Further north, NRMA is building a site at St Lawrence, around 180km north of Rockhampton on the Bruce Highway, filling a charging gap halfway between Rockhampton and Mackay.

The wider national rollout was designed to close gaps on national highways, with the stated aim of closing regional and remote charging gaps. Queensland’s Electric Vehicle Highway now links coastal and inland routes, including Longreach to Cairns and Brisbane to Mount Isa.

New NRMA locations listed with prices on NRMA's Electric Vehicle Charging Hub include Bankstown RSL, Diggers at The Entrance and HomeCo Gregory Hills Town Centre in NSW, Gregory in the NT, Camooweal, Kynuna and Longreach in Queensland, and Kimba in South Australia. Listed charging prices (before NRMA Member discount) range from $0.69/kWh to $0.89/kWh:

• $0.69/kWh: Bankstown RSL (NSW), Diggers at The Entrance (NSW), Kynuna Roadhouse (QLD) and Longreach (QLD)

• $0.75/kWh: HomeCo Gregory Hills Town Centre (NSW), Camooweal (QLD) and Kimba (SA)

• $0.89/kWh: Victoria River Roadhouse, Gregory (QLD)

Kynuna and Longreach add stops on inland Queensland routes, while Camooweal extends the network towards the Northern Territory border. Kimba adds another option on the Eyre Peninsula.

What’s coming next

Several sites are at the final stages of installation or waiting for electricity-network outages before they can be commissioned. On the NSW South Coast, hardware installation is progressing at Ulladulla Civic Centre and Vincentia’s Burton Street site, with NRMA aiming to secure the required outages before Christmas. South West Rocks is scheduled to start on site in late November.

Other locations are moving through construction and grid connection pipelines. All are tracking for go-live dates well before the upcoming holiday period.

Awaiting outage for commissioning:

• Scone, Vincentia and Ulladulla (NSW)

• Elliott (NT)

• St Lawrence (QLD)

• Warwick (QLD)

• Augathella (QLD)

• Wangaratta (VIC)

• Revesby Workers Club (NSW)

Construction commenced/nearing completion:

• Port Augusta (SA)

• Marla (SA)

• Wenty Leagues, Wentworthville (NSW)

• HomeCo Leppington (NSW)

Soon to start construction:

• Prospect Vale (TAS)

• Harbord Diggers (NSW)

• National Arboretum (ACT)

• South West Rocks (NSW)

• Dalby (QLD)

Some of these additions will make familiar routes more convenient; others matter because they give drivers another place to stop where the map has been sparse. Note, the national network is intended to connect towns at around 150km intervals, however construction pipelines and prolonged waits for network power outages can mean a site retains a “coming soon” status for some time after work begins.

Each new charger gives drivers another reason to consider a regional EV road trip, and sites such as Yunta show how the network can reach beyond the grid. Coverage is still developing, so it pays to check charger availability, map your stops and have a backup option in mind. Our EV road trip planning guide explains how to plan a route, find chargers and prepare for longer drives, including packing an appropriate Type 2 cable (and adaptor for older CHADeMO vehicles) to use untethered AC chargers when DC chargers are inoperative.