The retailer, owned by Endeavour Group which is majority owned by Woolworths, figures people spend a lot of time in their stores.

It has opened EV charging stations at four of its stores and is completing a fifth, this time at Broadmeadows in Victoria which will have two 75kW fast chargers supplied and installed by Evie Networks.

This follows on from a proposal by Tesla to open a diner and movie theatre in Los Angeles to entertain EV owners while their cars are being charged (see last week’s GoAutoNews Premium).

Dan Murphy’s managing director Agnieszka Pfeiffer-Smith said: “We have seen this initiative really gain some strong traction around our existing sites in Batemans Bay, Swansea, Alphington, and Oakleigh.”“This has been absolutely fantastic so far, but the rollout doesn’t stop there. We plan on introducing more stations over the next 12 months as part of our role to help provide eco-friendly solutions for a healthier planet.”

The retailer said current usage data for Dan Murphy’s live sites had “been encouraging”.

“It reflects the range of ways EV drivers are conveniently incorporating charging into their lives with almost 1500 sessions by 650 unique drivers over the past six months,” the company said in a statement.

“Evie’s chargers in Batemans Bay and Swansea were particularly popular for drivers over Easter, and winter school holidays, and continue to be relied on by drivers on weekend road trips. 

“While our inner-city chargers at Oakleigh South and Alphington have only been live for a few weeks, they are already proving popular for drivers looking for a top up while they shop, and for those without off-street parking.”

Evie Networks and Dan Murphy’s currently have four sites live all equipped with either 50kW or 75kW fast chargers, the first site launched earlier this year in Swansea, NSW, co-funded by ARENA. 

The other sites are in Batemans Bay, NSW, Alphington, and Oakleigh, Victoria.

Evie Networks COO Geoff Brady said: “Evie are thrilled to continue to partner with Dan Murphy’s to support their vision of future-proofing their shopping destinations and enabling convenience for their customers to charge while doing their shopping.”

“Our partnership with Dan Murphy’s is not only facilitating the expansion of EV charging infrastructure but also addressing concerns of ‘range anxiety’ among motorists transitioning to electric vehicles.”

Evie Networks was founded in 2017 and aims to build Australia’s largest electric vehicle fast charging network. It now has 150 charging locations in Australia.

By Neil Dowling