Where to charge an EV in Brisbane

New to EVs? Good news: you'll spend far less time at chargers than you used to spend at the servo. Here's how charging works around Brisbane, without the forum arguments.

The three kinds of charging

1. Home charging (the easy one). Plug in when you get home and wake up with the range you need. A standard power point is slow but works for lots of people. A dedicated wall charger is quicker. If your plan has a cheaper overnight rate, schedule your charging for then in the car or the Tesla app.

2. Destination charging (AC). These are the chargers at shopping centres, hotels, cafés, gyms and car parks. They're slower than fast chargers, but your car charges while you're doing something else anyway. Treat them as top-ups, not pit stops.

3. Fast charging (DC). This is road-trip and busy-day charging. Around Brisbane you'll find Tesla Superchargers plus other networks, and the Queensland Government's Electric Super Highway along major routes. Fast charging is quickest in the lower half of the battery and slows down as it gets close to full.

Which apps to use

• The Tesla app and car nav: they show Superchargers, live availability and pricing, and the car warms the battery for you on the way.
• PlugShare: a crowd-sourced map of almost every public charger, with recent check-ins.
• Network apps (like Chargefox and Evie): set up your accounts at home on Wi-Fi before you need them.

Charger etiquette (don't be that driver)

• When you're done, unplug and move on. Bays are for charging, not parking.
• On a busy fast charger, charge to what you need, not to 100%.
• Coil the cable neatly and report broken chargers in the app.

Plan your stops

Plan to arrive at fast chargers with a comfortable buffer, not on fumes. Have a backup charger in mind in case your first choice is busy or out of action.

Charging a Charge Drive car

Charging is your cost on our prepaid km plans, and our cars work with all the major networks. New to it? We'll walk you through it when you pick up the car.

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