Yarra Launches Largest Pole-Mounted EV Charger Rollout in Victoria, Australia

In Australia, Yarra City Council has launched the first installations of a new network of 26 pole-mounted EV chargers that will be deployed across Melbourne’s inner-city municipality throughout June and July. The project represents Victoria’s largest rollout of this type of charging infrastructure to date. The City of Yarra is a local government area (LGA) in Victoria, Australia in the inner eastern and northern suburbs of Melbourne.

The network includes chargers with either one or two charge points, allowing up to 41 electric vehicles to charge simultaneously. Each charger delivers up to 22 kW, making them well suited for drivers parked for two to four hours. Depending on the vehicle, motorists can add between 40 and 150 km of driving range per hour.

The new installations complement Yarra’s existing public fast chargers at Richmond Library, Collingwood Library and outside Piedimonte’s supermarket in North Fitzroy, which will continue operating unchanged.

The rollout is being delivered through a partnership between Yarra City Council, CitiPower and EVX. While the council has provided public locations for the chargers, it does not own, operate or maintain the equipment. Those responsibilities, along with installation and maintenance costs, are handled by CitiPower and EVX. Drivers pay to use the chargers and must provide their own charging cable.

Yarra City Council Mayor Stephen Jolly said the project is designed to improve charging access for residents who cannot install home chargers because they lack off-street parking.

“Over the next month, 26 pole-mounted EV chargers will be rolled out across Yarra, the largest rollout to date in Victoria,” Jolly said. “With a mix of one or two charge points per unit, this means an additional 41 EVs will be able to charge at any given time.”

The initiative addresses a growing need in Yarra’s apartment-heavy neighborhoods, where many residents rent or live in multi-unit buildings without access to private charging.

The deployment builds on broader efforts to expand curbside charging across Victoria. In October 2025, the Australian Energy Regulator granted CitiPower, Powercor and United Energy a ring-fencing waiver allowing them to install, own and maintain up to 100 pole-mounted 22 kW EV chargers across Melbourne. The trial, which runs through mid-2031, marked Australia’s first network operator-owned curbside charging program and requires about 5% of the chargers to support vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology while ensuring fair competition with commercial charging providers.

Yarra has also invested in other innovative charging projects. In May, the Yarra Energy Foundation opened Victoria’s first integrated community battery and EV charging hub at Collingwood Leisure Centre in Clifton Hill. Supported by an AU$750,000 government grant, the facility combines a front-of-the-meter battery storage system with two wheelchair-accessible DC fast chargers to demonstrate how battery storage can reduce grid demand while supporting EV charging.

The expansion comes as Victoria’s EV market continues to grow. Electric vehicles accounted for 11.3% of new light vehicle sales during the 2025-26 financial year, with about 100,000 zero-emission vehicles now registered across the state. The Victorian government has shifted its focus from direct purchase incentives to policies that encourage private investment in charging infrastructure, including reforms to electricity network tariffs and grid connection processes.

By extending charging access into residential streets, the new pole-mounted network expands Yarra’s public charging infrastructure and helps residents without home charging participate more easily in the transition to electric vehicles.

EVinfo.net’s Take: Why Curbside EV Charging Is Critical to the Future of Electric Vehicles

As electric vehicle adoption continues to accelerate around the world, one challenge remains a major obstacle for millions of drivers: access to convenient charging. While home charging is often considered one of the biggest advantages of owning an EV, not everyone has a private garage or driveway. For people living in apartments, condominiums, or homes with only street parking, keeping an EV charged can be far more difficult. This is where curbside EV charging can make a significant difference.

Curbside charging places EV chargers directly on residential streets, allowing drivers to charge their vehicles where they already park. Instead of searching for a public charging station or relying on workplace charging, EV owners can simply plug in overnight or while their vehicle is parked for several hours. This convenience helps bring the EV ownership experience much closer to that enjoyed by homeowners with private charging.

Curbside EV Charging Specifically Built for Cities

Founded in Brooklyn, New York, it’s electric is an EV charging company focused on expanding curbside charging access in dense urban areas where many residents lack driveways or garages. The company has developed a low-profile Level 2 charging system that connects to a nearby building’s spare electrical capacity rather than requiring expensive utility upgrades. This “behind-the-meter” approach reduces installation costs, speeds deployment, and allows property owners to host public chargers at no cost while earning passive income. The company installs, owns, operates, and maintains the chargers, making it easier for cities to expand public charging infrastructure.

Unlike traditional public chargers, it’s electric’s units are designed to blend into residential streets. They do not include built-in charging cables, touchscreens, or credit card readers, reducing clutter and maintenance requirements. Instead, drivers receive a lightweight portable charging cable after registering with the network and can activate charging through a mobile app, RFID card, or tap-to-pay. The company is currently deploying its curbside charging network in cities including Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Jersey City, Alameda, Washington, D.C., Yonkers, Alexandria, and Newburgh, with additional cities planned. Its mission is to help the estimated 40 million U.S. drivers who cannot install home charging gain convenient access to EV charging where they already park.

In May 2026, it’s electric announced a major and historic agreement with the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to deploy as many as 1,000 Level 2 curbside electric vehicle (EV) chargers throughout the city.