The road to the future is lined with electric cars, and the master plan to fuel them could help keep western plains communities on the map.

Under the NSW Electric Vehicle Strategy that was unveiled this week, the state will apparently be the easiest place to buy and use an electric vehicle in Australia, with a $131 million plan to develop a world-class charging network across the state.  

According to the plan, a surprising number of towns across the Western Plains including Brewarrina, Bourke, Walgett, Cobar, Condobolin and Coonamble are among those set to receive ultra-fast charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs). 

As electric vehicles grow in popularity across the state, regions without sufficient charging stations are under threat of losing a significant proportion of their regular tourism, unable to provide for tourists’ changing needs.  

The master plan maps almost 1000 charging stations across New South Wales, with destinations chosen based on a combination of factors that includes tourism data, traffic movements, location of major cabling, available substation capacity and projected electric vehicle adoption in the area.

The new strategy will contribute to helping to reduce emissions to net zero, with the charging stations being powered with renewable energy. 

Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance said the Masterplan that was unveiled on Sunday 12 September will give NSW a competitive advantage in tourism, being the most accommodating to EVs. 

“The masterplan highlights our plans to boost our existing charging network by over 300 per cent – providing more EV charging stations than all the other Australian states and territories combined,” Mr Constance said. 

While the current plans have the Western Plains area well covered, Far Western NSW hasn’t fared so well. 

Without any charging stations, communities such as Tibooburra, Milparinka and the various National Parks that cover that part of the state up to Cameron’s Corner could see tourists curtail their trips. 

Having committed to supporting the development of charging stations every 100km on major NSW highways, the plan could exclude particularly large expanses of highways between towns, commonplace in Western NSW. 

Despite this potential flaw, Minister for Energy and Environment says the plan is a step in the right direction where previously rural and regional Australia seems incompatible with the sustainability of electric vehicles and that the Masterplan “will put range anxiety firmly in the rear-view mirror." 

While the high costs of electric vehicles and lack of charging options have meant that take-up hasn’t been strong in regional areas to date, the upfront cost of an EV is expected to be more affordable than its fossil-fueled equivalent in the next five years, meaning that charging stations could be more than a convenience for tourism, and also support growth in local demand. 

The plan does rely on a willingness by third party private businesses and/or local councils to apply for co-funding to build, own and operate these charging stations.

The inter-active map of proposed fast-charging stations locations is due to go live today (Friday 17 September).