Imagine embarking on a road trip through the stunning landscapes of Queensland, only to realize your electric vehicle (EV) is running out of juice—and there’s nowhere to charge it. This is the stark reality for many EV owners along key inland highways in Queensland, where the promise of a green future hits a major roadblock. For Jacki Whittaker, the decision to buy an electric SUV two years ago seemed like a perfect solution to rising petrol costs and shrinking solar feed-in tariffs. Her family’s journey through central western Queensland, visiting iconic spots like the Longreach Stockman's Hall of Fame, was seamless, thanks to the abundance of charging stations along the way. “It was a flawless journey,” she recalled, highlighting stops in Longreach, Winton, Hughenden, and Richmond. But here’s where it gets controversial: when Ms. Whittaker needed to travel to Clermont for a funeral, just three hours from her home in Mackay, she was forced to rent a petrol car. Why? Because the Peak Downs Highway, a critical route in the region, lacks dedicated EV charging infrastructure. “It’s a missed opportunity,” she noted, emphasizing the potential for boosting drive-tourism in an area already rich with natural beauty. And this is the part most people miss: while the Queensland government has invested in EV charging stations across central, western, and north-west Queensland, highways like the Peak Downs and parts of the Leichhardt have been left behind. The Peak Downs Highway, a bustling route connecting the Bowen Basin coalfields to the coast, is dominated by diesel trucks and mining vehicles—yet EV drivers are out of luck. The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads confirmed that funding for both the Electric Super Highway Program and private co-funding schemes has been fully allocated, with no additional resources committed. Meanwhile, the Isaac Regional Council, which oversees much of the Peak Downs Highway, has only two registered EV chargers—both located in Clairview, far from the highway itself. Since 2020, the council hasn’t received a single application for a privately run charger. Even in smaller towns like Clermont, the charging options listed on services like PlugShare are low-capacity and far from ideal. Alina Dini, from the Electric Vehicle Council, argues that commercial chargers in rural areas are becoming essential. “Public charging depends on usage and the overall program design,” she explained, while also highlighting an additional $40 million in federal funding allocated to expand the charging network. However, the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is still determining how and where this funding will be targeted. For business owners like Dylan Jones, who runs a roadhouse on the Leichhardt Highway, installing a charger feels like an impossible task. “We don’t have the power infrastructure to support it,” he said, citing the high costs and limited energy supply. Despite the challenges, Ms. Dini remains optimistic, pointing out that the growing number of EV owners and the increased range of modern electric vehicles (400–600 kilometers) will eventually make rural chargers more feasible. “You’ll want to stop and top up anyway,” she added. But here’s the question: Is it fair for rural communities and businesses to bear the burden of installing EV infrastructure, or should governments step in with more targeted funding? Let us know your thoughts in the comments—this debate is far from over.
