Queensland Now Has a State-Wide 'Electric Super Highway'
Electric car owners can now drive from the Gold Coast and Cairns — and charge up for free.
No longer a mere science-fiction movie concept or a gag in The Simpsons' Stonecutter's song, electric cars have slowly been riding their way into greater use. Last year, Tesla started production on its first mass-market electric vehicles — and, for those planning a road trip in Queensland, Australians now have an 'electric super highway' to drive them along.
While the name sounds like something your grandparents might say — and will likely bring back cringeworthy memories of calling the internet the 'information super highway' — the idea itself is worth getting buzzed about. Over the past six months, the State Government has installed 17 electric vehicle charging stations between the Gold Coast and Cairns, enabling electric car drivers to trek the length of the state.
Apart from the fact that the highway is the longest in one state in the entire world, as Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey announced, it mightn't sound like that big a deal; however, one of the crucial aspects of using an electric car is being able to juice them up. Regular cars need petrol, electric cars need power — it makes sense. That's all well and good if you're only driving close to home, but if you want to take your electric ride further afield, you need somewhere to plug them in. A network of fast-charging stations, which will power up vehicles in around 30 minutes, solves that issue.
For those dreaming of an electric road trip, stations are located in Cairns, Tully, Townsville, Bowen, Mackay, Carmila, Marlborough, Rockhampton, Miriam Vale, Childers, Maryborough, Cooroy, Brisbane, Coolangatta, Springfield, Gatton and Toowoomba — with an 18th to come in Helensvale after the Commonwealth Games. They're also available for free for an initial phase, in an even bigger attempt to encourage more car owners to make the switch.
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