Fast charging grants FAQs

The program applies funding limits at two levels: per application (overall) and per station (stream-specific).

Overall funding cap

The total funding an applicant can receive across an entire application is capped at $20 million (ex GST)

Per charging station co-funding caps

Your co-funding request for each station is limited by both a percentage and a dollar cap, whichever is lower:

• Metropolitan: Up to 40% of project cost, capped at $300,000 per station (ex GST).
• Regional: Up to 50% of project cost, capped at $550,000 per station (ex GST).
• Remote: Up to 90% of project cost, capped at $700,000 per station (ex GST).

Additional funding

The following additional payments are not counted toward the station's co-funding cap and are paid on top of the amounts listed above:

• pull-through bays: $20,000.
• additional bays: $10,000 per bay (capped at 6 additional bays).
• OPEX support (remote stream only): Up to $90,000.

For further information, see the Funding section of the guidelines.

Yes. Applicants can propose multiple charging stations across the eligible zones listed in Appendix 1 of the Round 4 Funding Guidelines. There is no limit to the number of sites that can be included in one application.

However, applicants must comply with the regional participation requirement:

• for every metropolitan charging station proposed, the application must include at least one regional or remote charging station (a 1:1 ratio).
• applicants may propose stations exclusively in the regional or remote streams without including any metropolitan charging stations. 

Yes. All charging stations can be financed through partners or other sources of funding. Your private contribution must meet the minimum share required for each stream across your application (i.e. at least 60% private for metropolitan, 50% private for regional, 10% private for remote). You’ll need to identify sources of private funding in your budget and will be asked to provide evidence (e.g. accountant declaration, agreements). 

Applicants are not permitted to draw on grants offered by Australian Government agencies or other NSW Government agencies to construct charging stations under the program. In-kind support from other Government agencies at a federal, state and local level is permitted.

No. Each proposed charging station must be a new development. Expanding or redeveloping existing fast charging stations is not supported. 

Funding requests are calculated against the maximum co-funding percentage and maximum co-funding dollar amount for its stream. Funding will be capped accordingly per charging station.

Payments for additional funding (such as pull-through bays, additional bays, and OPEX support) are not included in this calculation and are paid on top of the station co-funding cap.

If the Total Project Value changes after contracting, milestone payments will be adjusted to keep the original co-funding percentage, but the department’s total dollar contribution will not increase.

Yes. Co-funding may cover purchase and installation of on-site battery storage and renewable-energy generation that directly supports approved stations, where these costs meet the eligible-expenditure rules.

Including batteries/renewables can strengthen your merit under Network readiness (grid support and Innovation).  

Once a charge point operator has completed the construction of a charging station, they must ensure that every charger at each station achieves a minimum uptime of 98% annually, for at least 50% of all plugs on site. Service outages caused by vandalism or force majeure events are excluded from uptime calculations. This requirement will be documented in the funding agreement signed by each grantee.

Successful applicants will be required to report charger usage and uptime through the Charge@Large app.

The remote stream includes an additional OPEX support payment of up to $90,000 (ex GST) per charging station to help offset operating and maintenance costs over the first three years.

This payment is separate from and paid on top of the standard $700,000 remote station co-funding amount.

The one-off payment amount is calculated as three times the proven annual operational expenditure at the 12-month mark. This payment is conditional on:

• the charging station being completed within the 24-month build window
• submitting proof of one year's worth of eligible operational costs and will be paid at the time Milestone 3 deliverables are met for the charging station. 

Eligible expenditure includes costs directly associated with constructing and commissioning approved charging stations — such as site preparation, hardware, civil/electrical works, software integration, and reasonable project management fees.  

Ineligible costs include financing charges, land purchase or lease, and ongoing maintenance beyond the funding term.  

For more information, see the Funding section of the guidelines starting on page 24.  

Payments are made in three instalments per charging station:

• Milestone 1 (20%) – payable upon execution of the funding agreement
• Milestone 2 (65%) – payable upon acquittal of the charging station. A commissioning checklist form must be completed, and evidence of project completion provided.
• Milestone 3 (15%) – payable for a charging station that has been operational for 12 months in compliance to the uptime requirements. This includes a minimum uptime of 98% annual per plug for at least 50% of all plugs on site.

For more information, see the Milestone payment section of the guidelines on page 28-29.

Any material change to approved charging stations, scope, or budget must be approved through a variation request. The department may adjust milestone payments to maintain the original co-funding percentage.

Applications are assessed at both the application level and the individual charging station level.

First, each application is reviewed for overall eligibility and completeness, and then each charging station within an eligible application is checked for charging station-level eligibility.

Eligible applications then proceed to competitive assessment by an independent panel against the merit criteria. Each eligible charging station is scored and compared with other proposed sites within the same eligible zone.

The panel makes recommendations on which sites should be offered co-funding, with final decisions approved by the department’s delegated decision maker. 

An independent probity advisor oversees the entire assessment process to ensure applications are treated consistently and in accordance with the NSW Government Grants Administration Guide and probity principles.

The NSW Government has engaged O’Connor Marsden & Associates Pty Ltd to carry out this work. Please email [email protected] with any questions about this process.

All parties involved in the assessment process, including panel members must declare conflicts of interest before assessment begins. 

The department aims to finalise assessment and notify applicants of outcomes within 12 weeks of the round closing date. Timeframes may vary depending on the number and complexity of applications received.

All applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application.

Successful applicants will receive a letter of offer outlining next steps, including the required documentation for contracting.

Unsuccessful applicants will also be advised in writing and may request feedback on their application.

Final funding agreements are issued only after final approval by the department’s delegate.

The 2-year delivery period starts from the date the funding agreement is executed. All contracted charging stations must be commissioned and operational within this timeframe.

In most cases, only one charging station per eligible zone will be co-funded.  

However, it is at the discretion of the department to fund more than one applicant per zone dependant on multiple need-based factors. This may include charging stations that serve key traffic corridors, destinations, and that fill network gaps.  

Where multiple charging stations are assessed within the same zone, the department will compare merit scores and may only select the highest-scoring proposal(s) for co-funding.

Yes. The department will notify each applicant of which sites have been approved or declined. Your letter of offer will list approved sites, co-funding amounts, and next steps for contracting.  

Successful applicants will be invited to enter into a funding agreement with the department. The project can begin only once both parties have signed the agreement.  

Technical issues with the application form should be directed to SmartyGrants Help Desk at [email protected] or by visiting the SmartyGrants applicant help page.

If your issue relates to program content (e.g. eligibility or funding questions), email the EV Fast Charging Grants Team at [email protected] before the round closes.

We will endeavour to resolve these enquiries within 3 business days. 

The department provides several ways to help you prepare your application:

• Information session held shortly after the round opens, explaining eligibility, merit criteria and how to apply. Recordings and slides are published on the Energy NSW website.
• Email support via [email protected] for program-related questions.
• FAQs - frequently asked questions will be answered and posted on the program’s webpage.

All Round 4 documentation — including the Funding Guidelines, Funding Agreement Template, eligible zone maps and application guidance — are available through the NSW fast charging website. If you need these documents in an accessible format, email [email protected].

If you require support to access documents, use the application form, or need materials in alternative formats, email [email protected]. The department will provide reasonable adjustments where possible. 

Yes. You can contact the department at [email protected] with questions about eligibility, evidence requirements or program rules. For fairness and probity reasons, the department cannot review draft applications or comment on the competitiveness of individual sites. 

You can sign up to the NSW EV mailing list to receive updates on new rounds, program changes and information sessions. 

The department handles all personal information in accordance with the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW). Personal information will only be collected, used and disclosed for the purpose of administering the EV Fast Charging Grants Program, or as otherwise permitted or required by law.  

You may request access to, or correction of, your personal information by contacting the department.

Yes. The department will treat commercially sensitive information as confidential and will not disclose it unless required or authorised by law, such as for audit, probity, parliamentary, or reporting purposes.

Where disclosure is required, the department will take reasonable steps to protect commercially sensitive material. 

Access to the site host EOI list is strictly controlled. Charge point operators must sign a confidentiality declaration and pass background checks before access is granted. The information may only be used for assessing potential charging sites under the EV Fast Charging Grants Program.

You can request access by emailing [email protected]. The program team will assess the request and check whether the requester has an active grant application in the GMS and is a bona fide charge point operator or prospective charge point operator. If the request is successful, a secure link containing the site host list will be shared with the person who requested it.

Once a funded charging station becomes operational, charge point operators must provide usage, performance and uptime data to the department as required under the funding agreement. This information is used for program monitoring, evaluating network performance, planning future public charging infrastructure, and aggregated public reporting. Commercially sensitive data will not be published unless required by law. 

Yes. After funding agreements are executed, the department may publish applicant names, funding amounts and charging-station specifications and locations in line with NSW Government transparency requirements. Commercially sensitive information will not be released unless required by law. 

Your application may be shared with the independent assessment panel, financial auditors, probity advisors and NSW Government staff involved in assessment, approval and contract management. Information may also be provided to auditors or integrity agencies where required. All parties must maintain confidentiality. 

Information submitted through the application process is stored on secure NSW Government systems that comply with the State Records Act and NSW Cyber Security Policy. Access is restricted to staff and advisors involved in the program. Safeguards are used to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure.