Under the new investment scheme, the Western Australia State Government will invest more than $35 million into electric vehicle rebates for private buyers and $23 million in funding for fast charging stations. More specifically, $36.5 million has been set aside to provide a total of 10,000 rebates worth $3,500 to customers who buy a new electric or hydrogen fuel cell vehicle worth up to a value of $70,000 through the Clean Energy Car Fund.
For the charging infrastructure part of the initiative, $23 million will be set aside for the WA EV Network to build fast-charging stations along major travel routes, specifically building 98 charging stations across 49 different locations connecting Perth and regional WA. Another $5 million will go to local governments via grants to install charging infrastructure by providing up to 50 per cent of the installation costs. Additionally, the same grant system will provide $10 million for not-for-profit and SMEs to install charging infrastructure. Another $4 million will be used to install charging infrastructure at train stations.
Charging infrastructure and EV and FCEV subsidies are not the full extent of the electrification initiative, as the Western Australia government also announced plans to provide $125 million in funding to match another $125 million invested by the Australian federal government to deliver 130 new electric buses and accompanying charging infrastructure at key depots.
The state of Western Australia launched its own subsidies with the Clean Energy Car Fund in 2022, as well as kicking off funding for a planned EV highway, which would place charging infrastructure connecting Perth to regional Western Australia. When it was announced in 2021, it was set to be the longest such stretch in the nation.