To promote zero emissions transportation within the community, Merri-bek installed Victoria’s first electric vehicle (EV) fast charge station in 2013,
Council now manages a network of 23 public EV charging bays, accessible through the Chargefox app.
Electricity at all Council chargers is 100% backed by renewable energy certificates from the Crowlands Wind Farm, and is therefore zero carbon.
Where can I find a charging station?
Merri-bek’s EV charging stations are located at:
- Merri-bek Civic Centre, 90 Bell Street, Coburg (x8 slow charger bays)
- Boundary Road, corner of Boundary Road and Sydney Road, Coburg North (x1 fast charger bay)
- CB Smith Reserve, Jukes Road, Fawkner (x1 slow charger bay)
- Brunswick Mechanics Institute, David Street carpark, Brunswick (x2 slow charger bays)
- Edward St carpark, Edward Street, Brunswick (x2 fast charger bays, x2 slow charger bays)
- Oak Park Sports and Aquatic Centre, 563a Pascoe Vale Road, Pascoe Vale (x3 slow charger bays)
- Glenroy Community Hub, Wheatsheaf Rd, Glenroy (x2 slow charger bays)
- Fleming Park, Cross St, Brunswick East (x2 slow charger bays)
Other public chargers also exist in Merri-bek, and can be viewed through the PlugShare website and app.
Fees for charging
Council’s slow chargers have a fee of 20c/kWh, and our fast chargers have a fee of 40c/kWh.
These fees were introduced in July 2024 to help fund the installation, replacement and maintenance of Council-owned chargers, to discourage over-stays and to ensure Council chargers are not out-competing private sector chargers.
Council has opened discussions with charging operators to increase the number of chargers in Merri-bek to cater for forecast demand.
Charging at home
Public chargers are vital but charging at home is still a great option. Residents with off-street parking or garages can find more information on home charging options at the Electric Vehicle Council.
Unfortunately, at this stage, it’s not so straightforward for the estimated 5,500 Merri-bek properties accessing on-street parking. The temptation for residents in this situation is to run a cable over the sidewalk to their EV. Unfortunately, this is unsafe and against local laws however Council is committed to exploring solutions for residents in this situation.
Council is also looking at whether EV chargers could be installed on power poles.
This is currently being trialled by another council in Sydney, but any trial would need to be run by the electricity distributors who own the poles. Council is talking to our electricity distributors about the possibility of such a trial in Merri-bek.
In the meantime, residents who own an EV can access the existing public charging network.
More info
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