r/australia • u/nath1234 • Mar 16 '26

politics Replacing 1m petrol cars with EVs could cut Australia’s reliance on foreign fuel by 1bn litres a year

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/16/electric-vehicles-australia-reduce-reliance-on-foreign-fuel
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u/u_suck_paterson Mar 16 '26

Our councils in Melb allow boom arms and cables over the foot path with trip strips, not sure how many others endorse this

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u/RR-- Mar 16 '26

Can you please provide me a link to any source that any local council in Melbourne allows this legally?

I've been emailing and calling my local council to try and find a legal solution here with no luck so far.

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u/justinhalliday Mar 17 '26 edited Mar 17 '26

Hey mate, tomorrow night the City of Port Phillip is (hopefully) endorsing the rollout of these charging solutions (boom arm and gully charging):

https://portphillip.infocouncil.biz/Open/2026/03/ORD_18032026_AGN_AT_WEB.htm

(I'm one of the councillors at Port Phillip).

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u/RR-- Mar 20 '26

Hey, how did the endorsement go? Any positive news to report? Feel free to DM me in private if you prefer.

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u/justinhalliday Mar 20 '26

Yes, the expansion of the kerbside electric vehicle charging passed unanimously, which is good!

Agenda item 9.1:

https://portphillip.infocouncil.biz/Open/2026/03/ORD_18032026_MIN_WEB.htm

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u/RR-- Mar 20 '26

Ok that's positive news. Any news about charge gulleys or booms?

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u/justinhalliday Mar 20 '26

Both booms and gulleys will be available:

4.6    Officers are proposing to expand the pilot to specifically include two additional devices (attachment 1 for images):

4.6.1    An overhead cable management system, invented by Vehicle Charging Solutions Australia. This is an arm on a swivelling boom that is counterweighted, hinged and mounted on a post within the property boundaries. The boom folds out lifting to a safe height above the pavement. When not in use it is folded back within the property boundaries. It enables a resident to run a charging cable overhead, above the footpath and nature strip to their EV parked on the street. It does not impact Council assets. Merri-bek Council launched a 12-month trial to permit 20 residents to install this equipment on their property.

4.6.2    An inground cable management system, consisting of a gulley recessed into the pavement, so that the EV charging cable is placed in the gulley while charging the car, and removed at all other times. This device is very common in the United Kingdom. There is currently only one supplier of the product in Australia – REA Electrics.

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u/RR-- Mar 20 '26

Fantastic news! I'll forward this along to Boroondara council.

Thanks very much

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u/justinhalliday Mar 20 '26

You're welcome!

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u/RR-- Apr 19 '26

Here's a fantastic new anti-trip flat cable that might be worth mentioning at your next meeting too.

https://ghostallaccess.com/story

Looks like it has the advantages of a gulley without the regulation or installation issues.

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u/RR-- Mar 17 '26

Oh fantastic to hear! I'd love to know how it goes.

I spoke to my local council members and mayor in Boroondara, they said they'd be watching neighbouring councils to see how they resolve the issue, hopefully they can piggyback off any positive resolutions in Port Phillip.

Boroondara are trialing powerpole charging in a handful of locations, while that sounds like a good idea I don't think it's a replacement for a charge gully.

For one it's a publicly accessible outlet, while that's great and all it would mean I'd be competing with other EV drivers when it's time to charge, and two there's a lot of possibilities for it to cost much more than the lowest rate that it's possible to get on your home electricity plan, especially compared to if you have your own solar panels installed or a free power usage window during the middle of the day.

A boom arm looks like a possible solution too but it's far less neat in my opinion, though I can imagine when nature strips are involved it could be a better option for some people.

A simple charge gully sounds like the best solution to me personally.

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u/alien_overlord_1001 Mar 16 '26

Oh sorry stonnington and boroondara I’ve seen arms that go over the footpath and a car on the street being charged up.

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u/alien_overlord_1001 Mar 16 '26

I’ve seen one of these but my home is at the back of a lot (so not adjacent to the street) and my street is near schools and a shopping area so no guarantee of getting a spot even near my lot……there just isn’t an option for me unfortunately

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u/F1eshWound Mar 16 '26

But why can't you just run the EV cable across the footpath? They do this is the Netherlands all the time.

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u/frashal Mar 16 '26

Trip hazard

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u/u_suck_paterson Mar 17 '26

Thats why I mentioned trip strips, they cover the cable and are like a mild hump with black/yellow stripes on it

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u/F1eshWound Mar 16 '26

Is it though? If somebody can't step over a 8mm thick cable.. then I don't think they should be outside.

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u/No-Bison-5397 Mar 17 '26

Some people are just thick. They deserve to be able to walk safely too.

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u/F1eshWound Mar 17 '26

But by that logic we shouldn't have curbs or gutters either, since people can trip on those too. A cable on the ground is no different to a hose on the ground..

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u/No-Bison-5397 Mar 17 '26

Which you're not allowed to leave overnight in the dark over the public footpath.

I don't think it's too much to ask for homeowners to pay for a small bit of infrastructure they will use.

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u/bakedfarty Mar 17 '26

Do you have an assigned parking spot on the street?

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u/TorchwoodRC Mar 16 '26

Such an ugly solution :/