Destination charging grants FAQs

The first 2 rounds of the EV destination charging grants provided co-funding towards the purchase and installation of 7kW-22kW alternating current (AC) EV chargers at regional tourism sites. In these previous rounds, eligible grant applicants were regional councils and tourism businesses, who own and operate EV chargers.

Round 3 of the grants provides co-funding to private EV charge point operators (CPOs) to own and operate lower powered direct current (DC) public EV fast chargers at council and tourism sites across regional NSW.

The installation of lower powered DC chargers will complement existing ultra-fast chargers and AC chargers across the state as we continue to roll out a world class EV charging network.

Eligible applicants in round 3 are charge point operators (CPOs). CPOs are companies that own and operate EV chargers. To be eligible for funding, CPOs must be:

• an ‘entity incorporated under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)’; or
• a state-owned corporation or subsidiary of an Australian state or territory owned corporation

Local councils and visitor economy businesses in regional NSW are encouraged to register their interest in hosting EV chargers at their site.

While site hosts located in a round 3 eligible zone are encouraged to register interest, any local councils and businesses across regional NSW, are welcome to register their interest in being a site host, as this list may be used by other NSW Government EV charging infrastructure programs.

After a site host registers interest, the NSW Government may share these details with CPOs who are interested in applying for NSW Government funding to install EV chargers.

If a CPO is interested in a site registered, they may contact a site host directly using the details listed.

If both parties are interested in progressing, a site host will need to provide that CPO with a letter of support (DOCX, 35.3 KB).

If a CPO is approved for NSW Government EV charger funding at a proposed site, the CPO will contact the site host directly to negotiate a formal agreement.

If a site host has registered their interest and wishes to make changes or remove a site from the list, they can email [email protected] with this request.

Registering your interest to be a site host does not guarantee that a site will be contacted by a CPO, nor does it commit you to becoming a site host. The information provided will be kept on file and may be used in other NSW Government EV charging infrastructure programs.

Charge point operators may request the site host list by emailing the Department on [email protected]. The program team will assess the request and check whether the requester has an active grant application in the Department’s Grant Management System (GMS) and is a bona fide or prospective CPO. If the request is successful, a secure link containing the site host list will be shared with the requester.

For this funding round, eligible zones are areas where 24kW-100kW DC chargers are required to fill EV charging gaps along established NSW road trip routes. These routes are managed and promoted by Destination NSW and feature on the NSW Government’s official tourism website, Visit NSW.

A total of 71 zones were identified based on existing EV charging infrastructure, network constraints, traffic flow, EV uptake and charger utilisation projections.  

A funding cap of up to $100,000 (excl GST) per site will be available to sites in 33 Green zones and up to $200,000 (excl GST) per site in 38 Blue zones.

A list of all eligible zones can be found in Appendix 1 of the Round 3 Funding Guidelines (PDF, 3.96 MB) and on the Round 3 Eligible zone map.

Eligible zones have a 10km radius and applicants may propose site addresses outside of this providing that the site:

• is situated in close proximity to an eligible zone listed in the round 3 funding guidelines
• meets all eligibility criteria listed in the round 3 funding guidelines

Applicants must provide a detailed rationale to explain why the site has been proposed and outline how installing an EV charger(s) at this location will benefit the site and EV drivers and meets the objectives of the EV destination charging grants program.

Any sites proposed outside of eligible zones will be considered on a case-by-case basis and approval will be at the discretion of the Department.

Yes. Applicants can, and are encouraged, to apply for sites in multiple eligible zones.  

However, the NSW Government will not approve funding at more than 2 sites per applicant within a given zone to ensure an equitable spread of chargers and operators are funded across all zones.

Yes, multiple applicants can be successful in the same zone, but only one applicant will be approved for co-funding per site (at a unique address).

The NSW Government reserves the right to award funding to the total number of sites within each eligible zone across multiple applicants and based on the overall solution that best aligns with the program objectives.

There is no limit to the number of sites proposed in an application. However, through the assessment process, the NSW Government will cap any funding awarded to successful applicants at $4 million (ex GST) and may award funding to a maximum of 2 sites within each eligible zone per application.

Site host letters of support are required to ensure site hosts are engaged and aware of sites proposed by CPOs in their grant application. We recommend applicants engage with site hosts early in the application process to understand site requirements, approval processes and timeframes.

A letter of support template is provided here (DOCX, 35.3 KB).

Yes. Site hosts can provide letters of support to multiple CPOs for the same site. Where 2 or more applicants propose chargers at the same site, the Department’s merit assessment process will determine the final CPO and site selection outcome.

Yes, applicants must demonstrate how the proposed site/s meets a tourism category outlined in Appendix 2 of the funding guidelines (PDF, 3.96 MB). While these categories are based on the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW) product listings, sites do not require an active listing on the ATDW to be eligible for funding.

Yes. However, sites will not be eligible for grant funding if they have previously been approved for NSW Government funding under previous rounds of the EV destination charging grants or under previous rounds of the EV fast charging grants approved prior to this grant’s application closing date. Approved sites that have been removed from funding agreements by the NSW Government may be considered.

A site host licence agreement is a contractual arrangement between a site host (e.g. property owner or local council/government) and a CPO. The agreement outlines the terms under which the CPO is allowed to install and operate EV charging infrastructure on the premises.

An agreement may cover aspects such as location, duration of license, license fees, installation and maintenance, removal, insurance, ownership and termination.

Go to the SmartyGrants page to submit your application.

Ensure you read the funding guidelines (PDF, 3.96 MB) before submitting your application, which detail the essential requirements needed to determine your eligibility and merit criteria.

Yes, an applicant may request to make changes to their submitted application by contacting the EV destination charging team at [email protected] if their application has not been assessed and they have not been notified of an outcome.

It is recommended all questions, including merit criteria, are completed as thoroughly as possible to ensure your application has the best chance of being approved for co-funding.

Each application will undergo an initial eligibility assessment and then eligible applications will be competitively assessed against the merit criteria listed in Table 6 of the funding guidelines (PDF, 3.96 MB).

An assessment panel will make the final decision on applications and sites approved for funding, based on the merit criteria as well as the identification of the combination of sites which best meets the objectives of the program.

Round 3 application open and closing dates are available on the EV destination charging webpage.

New applications will not be accepted after the closing date. The program team reserves the right to contact applicants for further information on their application as required after the round has closed.

Approved co-funding can only be used for costs related to the installation of related EV charging infrastructure and cannot be used for ongoing, operational, or maintenance costs.  For a full list of eligible expenditure please refer to Table 9 in the funding guidelines (PDF, 3.96 MB).

Yes. Co-funding approved for each site can contribute to the purchase and installation costs for on-site batteries or renewable energy generation infrastructure.

The Charge at Large app will be a national visualisation and data reporting tool under development by the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC). The intent of the tool will be to:

• show users the live availability status of public EV charging equipment
• provide uptime and utilisation reporting to the NSW Government

Successful grant applicants will be required to publish site details for all co-funded chargers on the Charge at Large app by way of an Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI) connection, as a means of providing location information and usage data reporting requirements in the funding guidelines. 

Co-funded EV chargers installed under this grant round must be owned and operated by the applicant, as an eligible CPO, and must adhere to the relevant conditions of funding as outlined in the respective funding agreement.

NSW Government has engaged an external probity advisory firm, O’Connor Marsden & Associates Pty Ltd, to ensure the process is fair to all applicants and there is no bias in the assessment of charging stations and overall bids. The grants are also managed and administered in accordance with the NSW Grants Administration Guide.

After round 3 applications close, the Department will undergo eligibility and merit assessments and an approval process. Applicants are expected to be notified of an outcome within 12 weeks of applications closing.

Successful applicants will be provided with a funding agreement and upon execution with the NSW Government, projects may commence and the first milestone payment may be paid.

Grant funding will be made across 3 milestones in accordance with Table 10 in the funding guidelines (PDF, 3.96 MB).

Indicative timeframes outlined in the guidelines may change at NSW Government’s discretion.

Should there be additional funding rounds, unsuccessful applicants may be eligible to apply for the same or different sites in future funding rounds, provided these sites meet program objectives and eligibility requirements.

All EV chargers approved in an application must be installed and operational within 12 months of the funding agreement being executed with the Department. Evidence of site completion must be submitted for the Department’s review and approval within 8 weeks of the site being operational.

Please contact the SmartyGrants help desk at [email protected] if you are experiencing technical issues with the grant platform. The help desk team are available during AEST business hours. Alternatively, visit the Help guide for applicants available on the SmartyGrants webpage.

Grant specific questions can be submitted to the program team via email at [email protected].

The program team will host an information session within one month of the round opening. The session will be recorded and subsequently made available on the website.

The program team is also available to answer any questions via [email protected].

Ensure you sign up to our Destination charging mailing list to keep updated on this round and any future rounds of the Destination charging grants.

NSW Government has legal obligations under the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW) in relation to the collection, storage, access, use and disclosure of personal information.

When collecting your personal information, we will provide you with a privacy statement at the time of collection that details how this information will be managed in accordance with privacy law.

Information of a confidential nature provided as part of, or in connection with any application, will be treated as commercial-in-confidence information and only disclosed with the consent of the applicant.  

The NSW Government may disclose commercial-in-confidence information provided by applicants to the following parties:

• the minister or minister’s office  
• the NSW Ombudsman and Audit Office of NSW  
• NSW Government staff or advisers for the purpose of assessment and funding recommendations  
• where authorised or required by law to be disclosed.

CPOs that request access to the list will be required to first complete a declaration and be registered in the grant application system. Then, a background screening of the organisation will be conducted before sharing a private link of the list with the CPO.

The intention of round 2 of the NSW EV destination charging grant program is to support regional businesses and local councils install and operate EV charging infrastructure.

Successful grant applicants in round 2 must retain full control and ownership of the EV charging infrastructure for 12 months from the date of acquittal (grant payment approval). After this time a successful applicant may lease or transfer the EV charging infrastructure to a third party such as a charge point operator (CPO).

If you wish to make a formal complaint about an EV charging supplier, manufacturer or software provider shown on the NSW Government’s approved list of AC EV chargers and EV charging software, please submit your complaint to the EV Council at [email protected].

If you are experiencing an issue that impacts your EV destination charging grant application, please contact [email protected].

No. The intent of the EV destination charging grants is to build the NSW destination charging network, to support regional tourism, to address range anxiety for visitors, and encourage EV drivers to travel throughout NSW.  

Using EV chargers co-funded under round 2 of the EV destination charging grants for the purposes of charging staff vehicles goes against the intent of the program and grant guidelines requirements that chargers be publicly accessible and for the purposes of supporting the regional visitor economy.

Organisations looking to add EVs and charging to their existing fleet are encouraged to apply for the EV fleets incentive program.

Successful grant applicants in round 2 are responsible for managing the ongoing operation, maintenance and running costs for the EV chargers at their site(s). Each EV charger is a valuable asset and should be appropriately managed and maintained to ensure reliable service and benefits to customers.  

Applicants are encouraged to speak to their EV charger supplier to understand operational and maintenance requirements and any customer service provisions that may be available.

If your application has been approved but changes to the proposed installation have occurred, you need to email the EV destination charging team to request a variation prior to submitting your Grant Payment Request Form.

Requests for variations may include:  

• changing to another EV charger installer (but maintaining the same quoted costs and products), due to availability of installer  
• changing EV charger(s) model or software subscription, due to availability
• configuration of charger installation or location within the carpark included in an application  
• reduction to the number of EV chargers that a site will proceed with installers

The variation request may result in a co-funding adjustment that is equal or lower than the original approved co-funding amount. The office cannot retrospectively increase grant funding as a result of a variation request and any variations that result in greater project costs must be borne by the applicant.

Failure to advise the EV destination charging team of variations may result in delays with receiving grant payments.

An applicant should email their signed letter of offer that was sent after being approved, as soon as possible after the deadline has been missed. An applicant’s payment request form will not be assessed without this signed letter and may cause delays in receiving your co-funding. 

Once an applicant receives a letter from the NSW Government confirming their application was successful, they will have 5-months to complete their EV charger and software installation before they need to submit their grant payment request form. 

An applicant who cannot complete their eligible EV charger installation by the agreed due date, outlined in their approval notification, is required to seek a written extension request from the Department’s consideration.    

Refer to the terms and conditions on page 39 of the round 2 funding guidelines (PDF, 10.2 MB) for information on extension requests.

Applicants may request that their application is withdrawn, and/or advise that they no longer wish to proceed with receiving their approved grant funding, by contacting the program team at [email protected].

Following installation of your EV charger and software (if applicable), applicants are required to return to the grant platform to complete a grant payment request form to demonstrate that all requirements from the funding guidelines have been met. See page 33 of the funding guidelines for the list of requirements that must be met to receive funding prior to submitting your payment request form on the EV destination charging grants website.

An applicant can begin filling out the payment request form from the time they receive their successful notification letters. However, an applicant should not submit their payment request prior to their EV charger installation being completed and they are satisfied that all grant requirements have been met. 

Within 4 weeks of submitting the grant payment request form, the Department will notify applicants in writing and confirm if their evidence for payment has been accepted.

To prevent delays, ensure all necessary documents and information has been provided in the payment request form. If unsure, please refer to our round 2 successful applicant handbook (PDF, 3 MB) for more information on the steps and information required to receive payment.