This electric car ⚡road trip overview discusses the Mount Gambier to Adelaide region return part of my 3607km Easter 2024 holiday drive from Melbourne (Victoria) to Yorke Peninsula (South Australia) and back again in a media loan Hyundai Ioniq 5 EPIQ AWD 2023 I had for 3 weeks.
Aside:
- read an overview of the whole 3607km EV journey incl my thoughts on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 as a roadtrip car, my views of electric car range – how much is enough, choosing chargers – where should you stop, why you should charge while sleeping, which chargers to skip and using ABRP with an OBD reader.
- Read my detailed trip diary and see my photo highlights driving Melbourne to Mount Gambier via Waurn Ponds, Warrnambool, Port Fairy, Portland one way. Mount Gambier to Melbourne return trip via Warrnambool and Colac.
Disclosure: The car was loaned by Hyundai Australia for me to do an independent media electric vehicle (EV) review. I agreed to meet all the associated running costs e.g. tolls, charging etc.
Let’s move on and read about electric car driving, charging up and experiencing the landscape of South-Eastern South Australia.
Option 1 – Faster Inland via Naracoorte, Keith, Coonalpyn
This was the route I took at the beginning of our journey. It’s not as scenic as the route hugging the Limestone Coast but it’s a bit faster, has more fast charging stops available along the way and lots of wineries you can stop at if you want to especially around Coonawarra.
First stop: Topped up car at Tesla Mount Gambier superchargers located at the OTR East service station (6x CCS 250kW).
Cost: was less with our $9.99/month Tesla charger subscription⚡ 10 kWh @ $0.70/kWh = $7.00.
In Mount Gambier centre of town near Cave Garden there is a newly installed RAA Fast charging hub (7x CCS 400kW shared, 1x CHAdeMO, 1x 7kW type 2) that opened a few days after we passed through.
Second stop: 47% battery after 105.9km @ 18.4kWh/100km. Arrived William Macintosh Motor Lodge where we were staying the night.
Their 3x RAA 7kW chargers are at the front of the building so they can be used by visitors to the Motor Lodge restaurant as well as overnight guests.
Charging while driving Melbourne VIC to Naracoorte SA so far all the DC fast chargers Tritium and Tesla have worked well on 1st attempt, no queues as we’re travelling mid week before Easter holidays.
Averaging 19.4kWh/100km so far as we drove into strong winds for several 100km.
Charged overnight at William Macintosh motor lodge. A repeated 7kW charger power fault meant I had to walk back from my room and restart the session 3 times 🙁
Naracoorte also has a RAA 150kW DC fast charger available in town at Woolworths.
Cost: 47.07kWh = $12.23 to fill up to 100% averaging very cheap 26c/kWh. (32c/kWh 5-10pm, 25c/kWh other times).
Third Stop: Left Naracoorte at 100% and reached Keith at 75% after 107.1km. Charged at NRMA Chargefox Keith (2x 350kW). Charged to 94% while cleaning dust off front and back windshield. The servo has a cafe and toilet facilities.
Cost: 19.07kWh @ $0.65/kWh – 10% NRMA member discount = $11.15.
Fourth stop: 81% battery after 66km to Coonalpyn. The RAA has opened a 150kW fast charger at Coonalpyn since I visited which is handy.
Besides charger stops it’s important to stop at tiny towns along your EV journey and support the local shops eg I bought a spinach cheese pastry at Coonalypn bakery and enjoyed it while looking at their public art.
I was surprised to also see a brilliant 3000 piece mosaic tile artwork nearby on the wall of the public toilets (the panorama below was taken with my phone so there are a few places misaligned.
Fifth and Sixth stops: Didn’t need to charge at Tesla OTR Tailem Bend. I just stopped for a photo stop to show you what the 6x 250kW chargers look like.
A few km later arrived at Evie Ampol Tailem Bend with 65% battery (66km from Coonalpyn Silos). Didn’t need to charge I just did it for a photo stop to show you what the 2x 350kW chargers look like.
OTR Tailem Bend is a massive complex with food, servo, supermarket and hotels nearby.
Both the Tesla and Evie chargers at Tailem bend are located on servo land so they’re not pleasant scenic stops.
A new RAA 150kW charger at the Tailem Bend Rhino will be available by mid 2024.
Seventh stop: Another 64km onwards arrived with 45% battery at Mount Barker Homemaker Centre to try an RAA DC fast charger for the first time and it worked well.
At this location 200kW is shared dynamically across 2x Kempower Fast units with 4 ports. There’s a cheaper RAA AC 7kW charger next to them for people who will take a while shopping.
I like how the Kempower charger lets you scan a QR code on it’s screen that lets you track the charge on your phone via a webpage.
Cost: Charged to 77%. 27.03kWh @ $0.59/kWh (off peak price) = $15.94
Eighth stop: Driving through the ups and downs of rolling Adelaide Hills was effortless thanks to Ioniq 5 power. Efficient regenerative braking on full i-pedal mode as always regained lots of energy⚡ downhill. Left Mount Barker 77%, arrived accommodation north of Adelaide at 74% battery over 50km later!
Option 2 – Slower coastal scenic route if you’re not rushed
This was the route I took at the end of our journey.
Driving along hugging the Limestone Coast is much more scenic than the faster inland route.
RAA fast & slow chargers have opened up the South Australian Coorong coast for EV tourism.
First stop: Charged 65%-100% at the ENGIE Chargefox Nuriootpa experimental variable price charging site (9x CCS, 1x CHAdeMO).
Price is cheap 40c/kWh 10am-3pm & no one else was using the other charging ports so I charged to full while we had our own BYO lunch. Price was excellent at this time, during peak it is $1/kWh!
This location has zero ambience since it is at the back of a servo in an empty carpark area with no shade. Only fast food outlets onsite, no healthy food options.
The chargers are advertised on Chargefox app as 120kW but they’re limited to 75kW. If more than one car is charging the charge rate will be even slower.
My SA friend Matthew pointed out that the RAA Nuriootpa charger nearby at Barossa Central shops has much better amenities and food but only 2 ports.
Cost: 29.46kWh @ $0.40/kWh = $11.78
Second stop: Drove 98km to⚡Murray Bridge arriving at 78%. We stayed overnight at accommodation that didn’t have EV charging.
Ignore the confusing RAA branding on the chargers, they are definitely NRMA owned not RAA.
Sorry NRMA but your Murray Bridge 2x350kW location on Chargefox network is very disappointing.
Screens on the Tritium chargers were broken / faded and when I was there 2/4 ports had been broken for months.
Port D worked – I had to start charge with Chargefox app as the screen was broken.
These chargers need to be moved to different location where right hand side charge port EVs can charge safely while legally parked within the marked bay.
Also NRMA needs to bin all their older Tritium chargers to replace them with a better brand that doesn’t break as often and has faster spare part supply.
Cost: 15.72kWh @ $0.65/kWh – 10% NRMA member discount = $9.20
Third stop: Drove on 78km to Meningie. Salt lake to the north of town on B1 road is only pink after rain.
RAA are opening a 150kW fast charger in Meningie really soon. It was partly ready when I visited town.
Meningie is a great place for a waterside walk. We stopped for lunch and of course I had a pie from the famous Meingie bakery which is open 7 days.
There is a playground for kids across the road by the water and lots of toilets.
Fourth stop: Drove on 143km to Kingston Lobster Motel at Kingston SE arriving at 37%.
I saw a jellyfish off Kingston pier and the historic Cape Jaffa lighthouse was lit up at night which is rare.
Kingston SE Beach near the pier has an RAA 200kW fast charger shared over 4 ports + 7kW.
My accommodation Kingston Lobster Motel had 4x 7kW which I used overnight before leaving.
Cost: Charging 37% to 100% incl some extra kWh for battery balancing used 57.2kWh = bargain $14.79. The ⚡price/kWh was a mix of 32c peak 5-10pm, 25c off-peak.
Fifth stop: Drove on 46km arriving at 88% battery to see the famous Robe Obelisk (built in 1865 to help guide ships) and go for a coastal walk nearby.
Robe Council advises that since it was built, the soft sandstone cliffs on which the obelisk stands have eroded significantly, meaning the Robe Obelisk could fall into the sea at any time. So I recommend visiting if you’re driving in the Coorong region.
Sixth stop: Drove another 102km to Tantanoola Caves Conservation Park arriving at 61%.
We had BYO lunch there outside and paid for a guided cave tour which was definitely worth it.
Sixth stop: Drove another 31km to Mount Gambier arriving at 53%.
We used charged cheaply at our accommodation Pine Country Caravan Park Mount Gambier thanks to the onsite 7kW RAA chargers.
In Mount Gambier town there is a newly installed RAA Fast charging hub (7x CCS 400kW shared, 1x CHAdeMO, 1x 7kW type 2) and a Tesla supercharger hub at OTR East (6x CCS 250kW).
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