A plan to speed up the rollout of electric vehicle chargers in Australia has hit a speed bump, with a leading charging provider slamming the proposal as anti-competitive.
Evie Networks chief executive Chris Mills said on Monday energy distributors were asking governments for "special rules" to install hundreds of car chargers at pace, which would create an uneven playing field.
His comments came after Energy Networks Australia released a report on a proposal to allow energy network providers to install car chargers on power poles.
Australians bought more than 91,000 new electric vehicles in 2024, industry data shows. (Jason O'BRIEN/AAP PHOTOS)
The plan could see as many as 40 EV chargers installed by the companies every week if laws allowed it, the study said, with the finding welcomed by Ausgrid as a way to meet consumer demand.
Mr Mills said the plan would give energy networks special treatment compared to other charging operators and allow them to skip many of the costs their rivals were forced to pay.
"If they want to stick chargers on poles, they should follow exactly the same rules that I follow and they should rely upon exactly the same support that I receive," he told AAP.
"If they wanted to do this as a purely commercial venture, I'm as happy as anybody for them to do that, but they want to do it with special rules that would be incredibly destructive for the industry."
Costs faced by other charging providers included application fees for energy connections and upgrades to capacity where needed, Mr Mills said, as well as higher energy access fees.
He said consumers could also be forced to fund chargers under the plan - whether or not they used the equipment.
Evie Networks chief Chris Mills says energy distributors are asking governments for "special rules". (HANDOUT/EVIE NETWORKS)
"It's about a level playing field and this is a distinctly uneven playing field to the benefit of the monopoly," he said.
"This is not something I am happy to support in its current form."
The Energy Networks Australia report found pole-mounted chargers installed by energy firms could be funded by an annual charge of up to $3.80 on consumers' power bills, a fee paid by users or government grants.
Ausgrid welcomed the industry group's findings on Monday, with chief executive Marc England saying the proposal could deliver more car-charging facilities sooner and convince more drivers to adopt the technology.
"By taking a proactive approach to EV charging infrastructure, we can accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, helping people who have or want to own EVs but do not have access to off-street parking," he said.
Australians bought more than 91,000 new electric vehicles in 2024, according to figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and Electric Vehicle Council, up from more than 87,000 in 2023.