Source : Perth Now news
An Australian electric vehicle charging company has received a major funding boost to accelerate the rollout of a new charging scheme for millions of Australians living in apartments.
ReadySteadyPlug, based in Sydney, has secured $1.51m from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) that will allow more than 400 EV charge points to be installed in residential apartment and strata complexes around the country as part of its Charging-as-a-Service initiative.
The scheme uses standard power outlets and smartphone access to charge vehicles and allows apartment residents to opt in, meaning users are billed individually and tenants who do not own an EV will not have to pay for the cost of electricity or the operation of the chargers. Owners corporations are also reimbursed quarterly for the electricity used during that time.
ReadySteadyPlug chief executive Jukka Sintonen said the funding would help to encourage more of the 4.2 million Australians who live in strata complexes, according to the Strata Community Association, to invest in an electric vehicle.
“We know that a lack of access to charging infrastructure at home can be a huge barrier to EV uptake for the millions of Australians that live in apartment buildings,” he said.
“If (apartment residents) have a charging point off the street, then that makes it so much easier and the convenience factor is almost immeasurable.
“The funding from ARENA is now really helping us to ramp up (the rollout) of this model.”
A single 10-hour overnight charge delivers 200km of range for a user’s vehicle, according to ReadySteadyPlug. Mr Sintonen added Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast so far had the highest uptake in the scheme.
ReadySteadyPlug chief technology officer Dean Eislers said there had been “a surge of demand from strata complexes” for the initiative, which is being managed under ARENA’s Driving the Nation program.
ARENA chief executive Darren Miller said the agency’s support, which brings the total funding for ReadySteadyPlug’s rollout to just under $3.5m, will help to address a critical gap in the country’s EV charging network and the transition to renewable transport options.
“ARENA’s funding will help to tackle this challenge by demonstrating solutions that lower the cost and complexity of EV charger installation,” he said.
The announcement comes as EV sales hit record highs – a response to the increase in fuel prices caused by the ongoing Middle East war.
According to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, nearly 16,000 electric vehicles were sold in the Australian market last month, accounting for 14.6 per cent of all vehicle sales. This is an increase on last year’s figures, with EVs accounting for 7.5 per cent of sales in March 2025.
According to the federal government, there are more than 500,000 EVs on the road in Australia.
