EV charging has been a success with visitors and members
Mingara Recreation Club has installed electric vehicle (EV) chargers to drive more visitors and futureproof their venue. “We could see the benefits straight away,” says Sarah Ferman, the club’s Operations Manager.
For more than 50 years, Mingara Recreation Club, located on the central coast of New South Wales has been a popular stop for locals and holidaymakers visiting tourist hot spots, such as The Entrance and Long Jetty.
Creating a point of difference for Mingara Recreation Club
Competing with other local establishments, they were seeking opportunities to add value for their members and make their club a preferred destination for visiting tourists. Mingara’s vision is to make a significant contribution to the quality of community life, including fostering a sustainable environment.
“We pride ourselves on being progressive and minimising our environmental footprint, says Sarah Fernman, the club’s Operations Manager.
“We want to ensure we've got all the facilities our members and visitors are looking for.”
Futureproofing the club by becoming an EV-friendly destination
The club discovered the NSW Government’s Destination charging grant which helped ‘put them on the map’ with electric vehicle drivers. The grant helped partly fund the installation of two dual port EV chargers to serve their visitors and members.
“Our decision to install EV chargers was good future planning,” explains Sarah.
“EVs are the way that the world is heading, and we want to be at the forefront of providing our members, visitors and our local community with state-of-the-art facilities with the future in mind.”
EV charging has been a hit with visitors and members
The number of EV drivers in NSW continue to grow, with one in ten new cars sold being electric. Those drivers are looking for places to charge when travelling, especially ones that also offer great facilities. As a regional business, installing EV chargers has put them on the map and made their venue a destination of choice.
“Visitors have told our welcome desk staff that they have stopped in because we have a location for them to charge,” says Sarah.
“Our staff and members are also excited to see us being progressive in this space as one of the first clubs to implement EV chargers in our area.
Members travelling from Sydney to Newcastle have been able to use the charging facilities and stopped in for lunch while they wait. It’s a nice by-product when you can see the benefits to members or visitors straight away.”
Funding available for up to 75% of cost makes getting EV chargers easy and affordable
Mingara Recreation Club’s chargers were partly funded by grant from the NSW Government. The destination charging grants offer funding for NSW regional businesses to get EV chargers. Successful applicants get up to 75% of the cost of EV charging hardware, software and installation. For Sarah, it made the decision to install EV chargers easier.
“EV chargers were something we were considering and had in our planning. But seeing the grant prompted us to move quicker,” says Sarah.
Sarah encourages other businesses to follow suit.
“I’d say go for it,” says Sarah. “It only has benefits. Yes, there’s a little bit of work just in understanding the grant process, but we found that quite easy to navigate through. There has been no negatives – only benefits for all our guests visiting the site.”
How to apply
NSW EV destination charging grants are now open to eligible regional destinations, with sites accessible to the public, for up to 75% of EV charger purchase and installation costs.
The latest grant round closes on 2 August 2024. If you need help getting started, you can email the destination charging team.
