Arabic version: شواحن المركبات الكهربائية في بيلبارا تكافح لمواكبة الطلب المتزايد

According to ABC News, electric vehicle drivers and tourism officials say Western Australia’s charging network is not keeping pace with demand in the Pilbara, raising concerns that unreliable and sparse infrastructure could discourage travel to the remote region.

Launched in 2025, the state’s electric vehicle network has 110 charging points spanning more than 7,000 kilometres, from Mundrabilla on the Nullarbor Plain to Kununurra in the East Kimberley. Drivers have reported broken chargers and malfunctioning equipment, increasing range anxiety on long-distance trips.

Perth EV owner Catherin Robinson drove 1,500 kilometres to Karratha after owning her vehicle for two weeks. She said the journey was “sink or swim” and called for chargers to be closer together and reliable. She said limited charging options prevented travellers from taking detours to explore the region.

Another Perth driver, Michael Kerr, said his 2,700km round trip to Karijini National Park required planning around broken chargers and long waits at slower units. He said he reached one charger with only 20km of battery range remaining and was unlikely to repeat the journey soon.

The Electric Vehicle Council’s 2026 State of the EVs Report rated the WA government three out of 10 across 26 metrics, citing weak support for charging infrastructure and passenger and freight vehicles. Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson said the government had built the network backbone and supported charger installations through three rounds of Charge Up grants. EV expert Kai Li Lim said maintenance and freight electrification should be considered in future charging plans.