Australia’s EV boom hits a wall: 88% of Aussies say EV charging gaps are holding it back
- Almost 3 in 5 Australians (59%) are more interested in purchasing an electric vehicle due to current petrol prices.
- Almost all Australian drivers (96%) believe they need public chargers
- Nearly a third (30%) of EV drivers have experienced a lack of long-distance charging infrastructure.
Sydney, Australia – 17.06.2026. Today, Kempower, a global frontrunner in DC fast-charging solutions, released new research highlighting how Australia’s fuel crisis is accelerating interest in electric vehicles, with almost 3 in 5 Australians (59%) saying rising petrol prices have made them more likely to consider purchasing an EV. The Asia-Pacific, including Australia, is a fast growing DC charging market where Kempower sees tremendous growth potential.
Kempower’s Australian Infrastructure Survey, a survey of 1,000 Australians, found that 88% believe more EV charging infrastructure is needed before EVs can become mainstream, a view shared by 96% of current EV drivers.
Australians overwhelmingly want to make the switch to EVs, but the infrastructure simply isn’t keeping up. Demand is accelerating, but the gap between supply and what drivers actually need is widening. In a market as complex as Australia, defined by vast distances and grid limitations, getting infrastructure right is critical to keeping the transition on track.” Carlo Cecchi, Director of New Markets at Kempower
Wrong place, wrong pace: why charger location is stalling EV growth in Australia
Australia’s EV transition is no longer just about building more chargers, but placing them where Australians actually live, work and shop. More than 8 in 10 Australians (81%) believe businesses and offices should offer more EV charging stations, while 62% say chargers at shopping centres would be most useful, followed by workplaces (54%), supermarkets (48%) and public carparks (46%).
Australian drivers are also increasingly changing how, and where, they shop around, refuelling and charging habits. Two-thirds of Australian drivers (65%) now plan their convenience shopping around when they need to refuel or recharge their cars, while 57% of Australian EV drivers say they would be more likely to do their grocery shopping at a venue if convenient EV charging options were available nearby.
Access and reliability are now make-or-break for EV adoption
According to the report, EV infrastructure access varies widely across the nation with 72% of Queensland drivers reported not enough chargers, while only 25% of NSW drivers reported the same issue. EV infrastructure reliability varies significantly across Australia, with 57% of drivers in Western Australia and 50% in South Australia experiencing EV charging stations that were out of order or poorly maintained, compared to just 24% of drivers in Victoria. These gaps are eroding trust in public charging. Nearly half of Australians say they are concerned about the reliability of EV charging infrastructure (48%) and access to available chargers (45%), reinforcing the risk that poor charging experiences today is slowing adoption of EVs.
While 96% of non-EV drivers and 97% of EV drivers saying public chargers are essential. nearly a third of EV drivers (30%) experience a lack of long-distance charging infrastructure and 25% of Australian EV drivers saying they have experienced a lack of charging stations in rural areas.
The Federal Government’s latest investment in EV infrastructure is a critical signal that Australia is serious about accelerating the transition. But funding alone won’t solve the challenge. If infrastructure isn’t deployed in the right locations, with the right reliability and scalability, we risk turning a once-in-a-generation opportunity into a costly investment that fails to deliver for Australian drivers.”, Cecchi continued.
A narrowing window to get EV infrastructure right in Australia
As Australia faces growing grid and space constraints, Kempower believes the country needs a smarter approach to deploying EV charging infrastructure, one that works for Australian drivers without driving up costs for consumers. Alongside the research, Kempower has released a new white paper, Delivering EV Charging in Grid-Constrained Australia, outlining how modular, distributed fast-charging can help Australia scale public EV infrastructure more effectively by:
- Accommodate small spaces such as car parks
- Scale easily to accommodate increasing charging capacity as well
- Offer power stacks that don’t have a single point of failure, improving reliability
Rebuilding Australia’s grid will take time, and it won’t solve EV drivers’ challenges overnight. But by getting the foundations for charging infrastructure right now, Australia can avoid creating new roadblocks on the path to large-scale EV adoption.
Fill out the form below to access the complete report, featuring exclusive research, key industry trends, survey findings, and real-world EV charging infrastructure case studies from across Australia.
Methodology
The research was commissioned by Kempower and was conducted by Lonergan Research in accordance with the ISO 20252 standard. Lonergan Research surveyed 1,000 Australian Drivers 18+. Surveys were distributed throughout Australia including both capital city and non-capital city areas. The survey was conducted online amongst members of a permission-based panel, between 1st and 8th of April 2026. After interviewing, data was weighted to the latest population estimates sourced from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Kempower, Media:
Paula Savonen
VP, Marketing & Communications, Kempower
paula.savonen@kempower.com
+358 29 0021900
Anniina Ruhberg
Marketing Communications Manager, New Markets, Kempower
+61 434 092 987
anniina.ruhberg@kempower.com
About Kempower
We design and manufacture reliable and user-friendly DC fast-charging solutions for electric vehicles. Our vision is to create the world’s most desired EV charging solutions for everyone, everywhere. Our product development and production are based in Finland and in the U.S., with the majority of our materials and components sourced locally. We focus on all areas of e-mobility, from electric cars, trucks, and buses to machines and marine. Our modular and scalable charging system and world-class software are designed by EV drivers for EV drivers, enabling the best user experience for our customers around the world. Kempower shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. kempower.com/