Tasmania Backs 50 New Destination Chargers at Tourism Businesses

Tasmania’s state government is putting money behind a push to make road trips easier for electric vehicle drivers, funding 24 tourism operators to add 50 charging points at places where visitors stay overnight.

The Electric Vehicle Destination Charging Grant Program, worth $250,000 and first floated in June, hands small and medium tourism businesses up to$2,500 per charger. It runs in two $125,000 waves: the first closed for applications at the end of August, and recipients were named this week.

Among the first-round winners, the Bay of Fires Bush Retreat in Binalong Bay receives support for three chargers, Low Head Tourist Park and the Rosevears Hotel each get four, and the Wilder Tasmania eco-retreat in Gowrie Park is down for four. A second round is due to be announced early next year.

Tourism minister Roger Jaensch said the grants would both future-proof the state’s visitor economy and give EV owners more freedom to roam. He pointed to Tasmania’s compact size and good roads as natural advantages for electric road trips, adding that overnight guests will be able to rest and recharge before the next leg of their journey.