Lessons from ARENA’s Future Fuels Fund Projects

With transport as one of the highest sources of CO2 emissions in Australia, the Federal Government has prioritized decarbonization strategies, including the expansion of public EV charging infrastructure. However, deploying charging stations at scale remains complex, requiring coordination with electricity networks, site hosts, and local regulators. As public charging networks expanded, charge point operators (CPOs) encountered various technical, regulatory, and commercial challenges that impacted project success. 

Supporting the Transition: ARENA’s Role in Fast-Charging Deployment

To support an efficient transition, ARENA funded multiple fast-charging projects as part of the Future Fuels Fund (FFF) across Australia and emphasized knowledge-sharing to help CPOs overcome future deployment challenges and accelerate industry learning. ARENA engaged Energeia to consolidate lessons from these projects, providing industry stakeholders with actionable insights to inform future fast-charging deployments. 

Key Focus Areas in EV Fast-Charging Deployment

Energeia worked alongside ARENA to review and synthesize lessons from the Future Fuels Fund Round 1 projects, summarizing key findings across six critical areas: 

• Market Trends – Understanding EV driver charging behaviours, utilization patterns, and evolving infrastructure needs. 

• Charging Station Infrastructure – Identifying best practices for charger selection, procurement, installation, and maintenance. 

• Public Charging Commercialisation – Examining pricing strategies, revenue models, and customer experience factors that impact financial viability. 

• Grid Connection Needs – Addressing the complexities of site electrification, from securing network approvals to load management strategies. 

• Site Selection – Evaluating factors that determine optimal locations for fast chargers, including visibility, accessibility, and grid readiness. 

• Charging Bay Configuration – Reviewing best practices for charger placement, parking bay design, and minimization of non-EV vehicle occupancy (ICEing). 

Key Findings from ARENA’s Fast-Charging Projects

Energeia’s analysis compiled findings from eight ARENA-funded charging projects, covering a total of 27 lessons learnt reports from leading CPOs. The study distilled these insights into a structured report, providing clear guidance on common challenges and effective solutions. 

Energeia’s analysis highlighted several critical findings that can improve the deployment of public charging infrastructure. Public charger utilization has been higher than initially expected, particularly in high-traffic urban areas, demonstrating strong demand growth. While home charging remains the dominant method, public DC fast chargers are essential for range extension and convenience charging. However, grid connection processes have emerged as a major bottleneck, with CPOs reporting significant delays and high costs associated with network approvals and upgrades, emphasizing the need for early engagement with electricity distributors.  

Charger reliability was found to be another crucial factor, as investing in high-quality equipment and implementing proactive maintenance strategies ensure station uptime and customer confidence. Additionally, pricing strategies must balance cost recovery with affordability to maintain financial sustainability while encouraging widespread EV adoption. 

Shaping the Future of EV Charging Infrastructure

The findings from Energeia’s work with ARENA have provided a valuable knowledge base for CPOs, government agencies, and infrastructure investors. By understanding the key lessons from early fast-charging projects, stakeholders can refine their strategies, reduce deployment risks, and optimize site performance. The insights from this report are expected to shape future government funding programs, policy frameworks, and private-sector investment decisions. 

The full report is available at ARENA’s website. 

Energeia’s Expertise in EV Infrastructure Planning

Energeia’s expertise in EV infrastructure planning, data analysis, and policy advisory has played a key role in distilling actionable lessons from ARENA’s fast-charging projects. By leveraging insights from real-world deployments, we are helping the industry navigate challenges and build a more resilient and accessible public charging network.