Accelerating EV Charging Program puts 14,000 chargers on power poles, but parking is the catch

The federal government's $40 million Accelerating EV Charging Program will put about 14,000 public EV chargers on power poles and at regional sites, mostly kerbside in busy city streets where residents have no driveway or garage. The first chargers are scheduled from March 2027, but the plan still needs a temporary rule change from the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC), and public submissions on that rule close on Thursday 5 November 2026.

The program has jumped in searches since recent reporting highlighted a catch the government has been open about. Most of the new kerbside chargers are not expected to come with EV-only parking, so a petrol car parked in front of a pole can block the charger for hours. About 70 per cent of the cost will also be paid through household electricity bills, whether or not you drive an EV. Below we explain how the scheme works, what it will cost you, how long charging on a pole actually takes and what is still not known.

How the Accelerating EV Charging Program puts chargers on power poles

The program is run by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW). According to the DCCEEW program details page, $33.2 million of the $40 million is grant money for electricity distribution networks, the companies that own the local poles and wires (known as DNSPs, such as Ausgrid, AusNet or SA Power Networks). The rollout works in three steps.

• Networks nominate sites. Each participating network bids for funding and identifies poles and other assets inside government-approved areas that could host a charger, then gets those sites ready to connect.
• Charging companies get first pick. Charge point operators (CPOs) have a right of first refusal on every nominated kerbside site. If an operator takes a site, it pays for, owns and runs the charger, and it can choose a slow AC or fast DC unit.
• Networks fill the gaps. Any kerbside site no operator wants must be fitted with an AC charger by the network as the provider of last resort. The network then has to appoint an operator to sell the electricity to drivers, because networks are not allowed to sell charging themselves.

To encourage operators to take up sites, DCCEEW's guidance for charge point operators sets a fixed $700 connection fee per site and caps the yearly pole access fee at $250 for an AC charger and $350 for a DC charger, with agreements of at least five years.

The department's original rule change request to the AEMC shows how it expects the roughly 14,000 chargers to split across the three parts of the program. These are forecasts, and the final mix will depend on how many networks and operators take part.

So this is overwhelmingly a kerbside AC program. Only around 370 of the forecast chargers are the faster regional DC type that suits highway travellers.

Key numbers at a glance

Timeline and what happens next

All of this depends on the AEMC's final decision. DCCEEW says the program details are not binding until then.

The parking catch explained

The main concern is who gets to park next to the pole. On its program page, DCCEEW states plainly that it does "not require or expect the parking spaces next to all of the chargers deployed under the program to be reserved for EVs only", adding that all drivers, including those with petrol and diesel cars, "should still be able to park close to where they live". Its guidance for councils says the program "has no expectation" that chargers installed by networks will need a dedicated EV bay.

Dedicated bays are still possible. A charging operator that takes up a site can ask the local council to set aside one or more EV-only bays, and a council can tell its network it wants one. For the regional DC pole chargers, networks are required to seek a dedicated bay. In practice, though, the kerbside sites most likely to end up undedicated are the ones networks install as the provider of last resort, because operators are expected to choose sites where they can secure dedicated parking.

The AEMC raised the same issue in its draft determination. It found "limited reliable evidence" that AC kerbside chargers without dedicated parking increase EV uptake. It estimated network-installed chargers need to support 1.5 to 3.8 EVs each to break even, and said there is significant uncertainty about whether they will. Even so, the Commission backed the program, saying its likely benefits outweigh its costs given its targeted and time-limited design.

Councils that already run kerbside chargers have put numbers on the problem. In their joint submission to the AEMC, Randwick, Waverley and Woollahra councils, which together run more than 300 public charging ports in Sydney's east, said a dedicated 22 kW AC charger delivers around 16,000 kWh per space each year. A non-dedicated one delivers only about 0 to 1,600 kWh a year because it is often blocked. On that basis, the councils argue, a non-dedicated AC plug can often support "well under one EV", rather than the 30 the government's modelling assumes. Industry data cited in recent reporting points the same way, with undedicated chargers in the area getting about one session every two days against two to three a day at dedicated ones.

Minimum rules for a pole charger site

DCCEEW has set minimum requirements every network-installed kerbside charger must meet.

• There must be legal public parking next to the charger, such as an existing roadside space.
• The charger must be easy to reach and use from that parking space.
• The spot cannot have a parking limit of less than two hours at any time.
• Cables must not cross a footpath or bike lane, and a car plugged in on the driver's side must not unduly narrow the road.
• The charger box must not narrow the footpath enough to cause access problems for pedestrians, or get in the way of public transport.
• Sites earmarked for road works, new bus or bike lanes, or developments that would put power lines underground must be avoided.
• Chargers must not cause undue problems such as congestion near parks, schools or hospitals.

The two-hour rule matters. Slow AC charging only makes sense if you can stay plugged in for a long time, so these chargers are aimed at streets where people park for hours or overnight.

How long charging on a pole charger takes

The program defines kerbside chargers as slow AC units under 24 kW, but exact charger outputs have not been announced. What really limits AC speed is the car. The Sydney councils told the AEMC that most EVs accept around 7 kW on AC, so a 22 kW charger typically delivers about 6.5 to 10.5 kW in practice. Using a realistic 7 kW, here is roughly how long common battery sizes take.

Our estimates at 7 kW, ignoring charging losses. Charging slows as the battery nears full, and a car that accepts 11 kW or more on AC will be quicker.

You rarely need a full charge, though. DCCEEW's modelling uses an average of 13,360 km a year and energy use of 17 kWh per 100 km. That works out at about 6 kWh a day, or less than an hour on a 7 kW pole charger for an average day of driving. For most owners, one long overnight session a week would cover normal use, as long as the spot is free when they need it.

What it means if you have no driveway

This program is aimed squarely at renters, apartment owners and terrace-house residents who cannot fit a home charger. If that is you and you are weighing up an EV, here is what to do now.

• Check the mapping tool. DCCEEW's mapping tool already shows the kerbside eligible zones. Proposed postcodes are due in early December 2026, and specific poles from March 2027. Being in an eligible zone does not guarantee a charger.
• Talk to your council. Councils are consulted on sites and decide whether to create EV-only bays. If you want dedicated parking on your street, your council is the place to say so.
• Check a car's AC charging rate. Two EVs with similar batteries can charge at very different speeds on the same pole. Look at the onboard AC charger rating when comparing affordable models such as the BYD Atto 1, MG4 or Geely EX2.
• Don't buy on the promise alone. The first chargers are more than a year away and locations are not known. Plan around chargers you can use today, and budget with our guide to public EV charging costs in Australia.
• Check incentives. State support for EV buyers varies widely, so see our breakdown of EV rebates and incentives by state before you buy.

What it costs households that don't drive an EV

Because 70 per cent of network costs would be recovered through the network charges in everyone's power bill, households without an EV help pay too. The AEMC estimates the typical residential customer would pay about $1 more a year for five years. DCCEEW's own modelling put the peak at between about $0.70 and $1.44 a year depending on the network area, with no bill impact expected before 2029.

The AEMC's draft rule also caps how much electricity customers can be asked to fund. Where a charging company takes up a site, it pays for the charger itself, so most of the bill cost comes from the network-installed sites, the same ones most likely to lack dedicated parking.

What we still don't know

• Charging prices. No prices have been announced. Operators will set them, including at network-built sites where the network appoints an operator to sell the electricity.
• Exact locations. Not yet announced. Postcodes are expected in early December 2026 and specific sites in three tranches through 2027.
• Which networks take part. Grants are expected to be awarded in December 2026. Some networks, such as United Energy in Victoria, have already run request processes for regional DC pole charger sites.
• How many sites get dedicated bays. No target has been set for the share of dedicated bays.
• Charger output. Only the under-24 kW AC limit for kerbside and 50 kW for regional DC pole chargers are set out so far.
• The final rule. The AEMC could still change the draft after submissions close.

How to have your say before 5 November

Anyone can comment on the draft rule, not just industry. Use the AEMC's lodge a submission page and pick the project "Facilitating EV charging infrastructure rollout under Commonwealth grants" (reference ERC0436). If the online form gives you trouble, you can email submissions@aemc.gov.au. Submissions are generally published, so leave out anything private. Useful points to raise include dedicated parking, charging prices, how sites are chosen and the cost to bill payers.

The final decision is due by the end of 2026, and we will update you when it lands and when the first postcodes are published.