Wine x Sam is the proud owner of the first publicly available electric vehicle charging station in Seymour, offering an exciting glimpse into a greener transportation future for regional Victorians.
Even though business owners Sam Plunkett and Bronwyn Dunwoodie are selling the electricity required to charge EVs to the public when they use the station, Mr Plunkett does not expect to ever make money from it.
“We put it in because we want to a part of the solution … to be part of the infrastructure that allows EVs to become more common,” Mr Plunkett said.
Ms Dunwoodie owns an EV, and instead of spending less on a charger for personal use, she and her husband opted for something that would also be available for other EV drivers.
“Even before we had it, we had a couple of people stopping needing electricity … People tell us their stories; they are so grateful there is a charger here,” Mr Plunkett said.
Currently Wine x Sam is averaging one person a day stopping by to charge up, with sometimes two or three people plugging in.
The 25kW charger cost about $22,000 to buy and install, and takes about three hours to fully charge an EV.
“The EVs are great, they are expensive to buy but cheap to run … But they are still a bit challenging in regional Victoria. There is still not enough charging infrastructure,” Mr Plunkett said.
Although the cost of the charging station is high for relatively low returns as a saleable service, the station offers flow-on benefits for businesses within walking distance of the charging station.
Mr Plunkett said he had seen a small benefit to his business where while people stop to charge their vehicle, they may come in to buy a coffee or bottle of wine, or visit another nearby business such as the IGA to grab supplies.
“There is a small economic win for the town having this charging station,” he said.
“Without them, there is the risk that people don’t come here because they can’t charge their vehicle and instead they go to Wallan or Euroa.”
Mr Plunkett had originally looked at putting in a four- or six-bay super charger station, future-proofing the town for EVs.
“It would have been really cool for Seymour, I hope that one day it happens, but it didn’t work out here,” he said.
“Bring on the day they are in the supermarket car park; bring on the day there are heaps of chargers.”
In November last year, Mitchell Shire Council installed charging stations in Broadford and Kilmore.
Mitchell Shire Mayor Fiona Stevens said council had been in discussions with EV charging providers to install additional charging stations in Seymour.
“Installing charging stations where users can linger and support local business is a core consideration when determining suitable locations,” Cr Stevens said.