THE NRMA electric vehicle charger that opened in Bathurst three years ago has since been used almost 2500 times, according to the motoring organisation.
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It says its charging network, which includes chargers in Bathurst, Orange and Mudgee in this region, has had a "continual increase" in use, "even during the pandemic and especially after the lifting of travel restrictions".
The NRMA fast charger that started operating in mid-2019 at the Bathurst Visitor Information Centre was the 10th to be opened to the public by the organisation across NSW and the ACT.
The more than 2400 "charging sessions" that the Bathurst charger has since provided (to mid-June), according to the NRMA, would equate to it being used about 66 times a month or about twice a day.
"Each NRMA fast charger is powered by renewable energy, with the Bathurst charging station alone providing more than 130,000 kilometres of charge to drivers," NRMA spokeswoman Emma Harrington said.
She said the charger's location at the Bathurst Visitor Information Centre aimed to promote tourism in the region as well as connecting electric vehicle drivers with other locations across the Central West and travelling east towards Sydney.
The Bathurst charger's opening was followed by chargers being installed at Dubbo and Parkes in May 2019, at Orange in July 2019 and Mudgee in 2020.
Ms Harrington said the NRMA wanted to ensure regional Australia was not left behind "as we continue to transition to electric vehicles over the coming decade".
"NRMA's EV charging network spans NSW and the ACT with 55 fast-chargers now operating across 46 locations, and another 14 sites co-funded by the NSW Government on track to be launched by FY2023 [financial year 2023]," she said.
"The NRMA also has plans to extend its fast-charging network right across the country, providing crucial infrastructure for all Australians.
"Since the NRMA opened its first charger in 2018, our mutual has provided over eight million kilometres of renewable energy to EV drivers across the network.
"The network has seen a continual increase in usage even during the pandemic and especially after the lifting of travel restrictions. The charging network is seeing usage grow at around 20 per cent each month."
The NRMA fast charger at the Bathurst Visitor Information Centre sits alongside six Tesla charging bays.
Bathurst also has two electric vehicle charging stations outside the Bathurst Rail Museum.
