I have obtained more details about the recent commitment by RACV to replace their unreliable 1st generation Tritium ultra-rapid electric car charging stations on the Chargefox network with new more modern Kempower chargers instead at:
- Barnawartha North
- Euroa
- Airport West
- Ballarat
- Horsham
- Torquay
- Moe
RACV will be also be:
- upgrading 22 AC chargers (7KW to 22 KW) at RACV Clubs and Resorts.
- installing 6 new fast DC chargers (50KW) at Victorian RACV Clubs and Resorts.
I have used most of these chargers during my EV road trips and can say that this news will be greeted with joy by Australian EV drivers who have visited these locations and found that all too often some or all of the chargers were out of order.
Q & A with RACV Spokesperson
I asked … will the replacement Kempower chargers be the same / higher kW rating as the Tritium chargers being replaced? Hopefully RACV will upgrade these 7 sites to take advantage of Kempower dynamic allocation of total kW available to each EV connected, depending on how full each EV battery is and the max kW charging capability of each connected EV.
RACV replied:
“The replacement Kempower stations will be the same output as the previous stations and RACV will be using Kempower dynamic load balancing capabilities”.
I asked … will the current number of CHAdeMO ports be maintained at these locations or reduced to one per site? The vast maojrity of Chargefox users would prefer only a single CHAdeMO port at each Chargefox multi charger location as it would enable more CCS 2 cars to charge simultaneously.
RACV replied:
“RACV will be reducing the number of CHAdeMO ports and replacing them with CCS2 as >90% of vehicles on the market use the CCS charging standard”.
I asked … is there a schedule for which order the 7 sites will upgraded, so readers can plan road trips accordingly?
RACV replied:
“The program to update the charging sites will run over the next 18 months. These upgrades will commence in February 2024 and be completed by the middle of 2025”.
I asked … last time I charged at Barnawartha there were two ABB chargers and two Tritium. Will the ABB chargers be replaced with Kempower or left alone?
“The ABB chargers at Barnawartha will be retained”.
I asked … Please advise which RACV Club and Resort locations you’ll be installing six new 50KW fast DC chargers at?
RACV replied:
“RACV will be installing six new fast DC chargers (50KW) at RACV Healesville Club and Resort, RACV Cobram Resort, RACV Inverloch Resort, RACV Cape Schanck Resort, RACV Goldfields Resort, and our Noble Park location. RACV Torquay Resort will not be getting an additional unit”.
I asked … I know that RACV are looking to further invest in EV chargers. Will they be AC or DC or a mix?
RACV replied:
“The charging speeds at any future RACV charging sites will be determined based on the location. However, we will favour locations that support fast DC charging”.
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