Queensland is to get a network of rapid electric vehicle charging points spanning the 1,000-mile Bruce Highway along the state’s east coast.

The charging points will span 1,000 miles of coastal highway.

Announced this week, phase one of the Queensland Electric Super Highway includes 18 towns and cities spanning Coolangatta on the southern border, to Cairns in the north east.

The state’s environment minister and acting main roads minister, Steven Miles, said this will be indirectly supplied with renewable energy via credit and offset scheme, and access will be free for a limited time after it goes live.

“The most recent Queensland Household Energy Survey showed that 50% of Queenslanders will consider an electric vehicle, plug-in hybrid or regenerative braking hybrid, when purchasing a new car in the next two years and that majority said improvements to public fast-charging infrastructure would further tempt them into purchasing an EV,” said Mr Miles.

Figures from Queensland Transport show there are 34,503 electric vehicles and 16,739 hybrids registered in the state as of the end of June 2017, representing 0.85% and 0.41% of the 4,082,567 total parc.

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