The first of three electric truck charging hubs has officially begun construction in Melbourne’s west, the start to what will become Australia’s first shared-use electric truck charging network.
NewVolt, founded in 2019, actually began construction on the Laverton North charging hub back in June, though only confirmed the news on its LinkedIn account last week. A group of “fleet customers, partners, suppliers, and supporters” were invited to mark the start of works.
The Laverton North charging hub, located immediately adjacent to the convergence of Melbourne’s two most important western freight arterials – the M80 Ring Road and M1 Westgate Freeway – is the first of three to be built across Melbourne’s key freight corridors, which are backed by $25 million in funding from the federal government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
A total of 12 high-power charging bays configured for both heavy- and medium-duty battery electric trucks will be built, with purpose-built bay lengths, amenities, and 24-hour operations. Charge rates are expected to include fast-charging up to 400 kilowatts (kW) as well as megawatt charging systems (MCS)
The next two charging hubs will be built in Melbourne’s northern freight precinct and one in the south-east, completing a triangle of coverage across the city’s primary logistics corridors.
NewVolt expects the Laverton North charging hub to support more than 100 charging sessions per day.
Previous reporting and the company’s own website claim the Laverton North charging hub will be operational by year’s end, but NewVolt co-founder Rainer Knobloch is quoted in the LinkedIn announcement as saying that the charging hub “will be operational in the first quarter” of 2027.