Australia’s electric vehicle charging network is failing to keep pace with global benchmarks, according to Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) Commissioner Tim Jordan.
Australia has just one public charger for every 76 EVs compared to a world average of 11.
Speaking at the ENA Regulation Seminar 2025 in Brisbane, Jordan warned the shortfall risks stalling the country’s already sluggish EV uptake.
“Getting the right charging infrastructure in place is an urgent issue to address,” he said.
“We need an approach that delivers the right number of chargers in the right places, and it’s an issue we need to get moving on quickly to get more EVs into the market.”
Transport is now Australia’s second-largest and fastest-growing source of greenhouse gas emissions, projected to overtake electricity emissions by 2030 as the grid decarbonises.
While battery range, model availability and affordability have all improved, EV sales remain stuck at around 6 per cent of new vehicles – well below the global average of 18 per cent.
Jordan cited Consumer Policy Research Centre findings that almost one-third of Australians see lack of charging access as a barrier to buying an EV. The impact is greatest on renters and apartment dwellers without off-street parking, making kerbside charging critical for equitable uptake.
Australia currently has fewer than 2,000 public chargers across just over 1,000 locations – a 90 per cent increase since 2023 but far short of what is needed.
Analysis by AEMO and CSIRO suggests that achieving net zero by 2050 will require between 5,000 and 20,000 new public chargers every year for the next several years, depending on uptake scenarios.
International data shows a strong correlation between public charger density and EV sales. Leaders such as Norway, the Netherlands and China have expanded public networks in lockstep with adoption, with China now home to 3.3 million charging points – 65 per cent of the world’s total – and 60 per cent of global EVs.
Jordan described the infrastructure challenge as a “classic network externalities problem,” likening it to mobile phone coverage, where government intervention helped bridge uncommercial gaps.
Without similar action, he warned, EV uptake could plateau.
The payoff is significant. AEMC analysis shows households could save around $2,000 a year by switching to an EV, even without optimising charging times for lowest electricity prices. However, these savings depend on reliable access to charging infrastructure.
Jordan stopped short of prescribing a specific rollout model but underscored the urgency: “To me, deploying kerbside chargers quickly is fundamental.”