Fast chargers at Eastland, but the slow ones are gone

Eastland Shopping Centre now has EV fast chargers. AmpCharge, Ampol's charging brand, has installed two Kempower chargers with four plugs on Level 1M East of the car park, with screens showing up to 240 kW. Great to see them, and in a good spot: a shopping centre, with food outlets, toilets and shops nearby.

Well, nearby-ish. The food court, restaurants and the Hoyts cinema are at the other end of the centre, and from the chargers that's a long walk through the car park. I couldn't see a closer entrance.

Driving to the chargers takes a lap or two as well. They're next to a car park exit, but not near an entry, so you have to drive around the car park to reach them. The signage is excellent though, with blue EV signs guiding you around the laps.

For years, Eastland had Tesla destination chargers on the ground floor, right next to the pedestrian doors at the entrance. They've now been removed. That has opened up closer parking for parents with prams, but it also means the cars parked there now point their exhaust straight at the doors.

Those destination chargers gave our car 11 kW, which suits a shopping centre perfectly: park, do a big shop or have dinner and a movie, and come back to a full battery. A fast charger only gives you time to use the toilet, grab a quick meal or do a quick shop, especially with a long walk through the car park each way.

The warning poster beside the chargers seems over the top. It opens by saying EV fires at charging sites are rare, then lists the signs of a battery fire: loud popping, hissing, clouds of gas. Petrol stations have their no smoking and switch off engine signs, but I've never seen one explain how to recognise a petrol fire. Yet in Sweden's 2022 figures, petrol and diesel cars caught fire about 20 times as often as EVs.

I have mixed feelings about a petrol company providing EV chargers. On the one hand, it's great to see Ampol pivot and invest in the future. On the other hand, it's still a fossil fuel company, and one that has done a lot of damage to health and the environment.

Ampol has also just agreed to buy Evie Networks, for $225 million, adding more than 1,000 Evie charging bays once the ACCC approves the deal next year. I hope the best features of Evie survive, especially Autocharge. With Evie, all we do is plug in, and the charger recognises our car and bills our account. No app, no card.