#12 Scott Carden: Inside The NRMA EV Charging Network: Shaping Australia’s EV future

What does it take to build a reliable EV charging network across one of the largest and sparsest countries on earth? In this episode, we sit down with Scott Carden, Head of Engineering at the NRMA, to explore the hidden lessons behind Australia’s EV charging rollout.

Scott shares the realities of delivering fast EV chargers in remote and off-grid locations, where extreme conditions, limited usage and technical hurdles make the challenge unlike anywhere else in the world. From the Eldunda off-grid charging experiment in the Northern Territory to the NRMA’s goal of installing a charger every ~150 km on highways, we uncover what it takes to create the backbone of a truly national EV network.

Topics covered include:

• The engineering challenge of EV chargers spiking from 0–100% load in 0.1 seconds.
• Why cooling batteries in the outback can sometimes use more energy than the cars themselves.
• How the NRMA’s mutual model allows investment in less-commercial, ultra-remote charging sites.
• Lessons from “alpha,” “beta” and “release candidate” charging stations tested in the field.
• Balancing metro hubs and regional coverage to build a sustainable EV charging future.

Whether you’re an EV driver, policymaker or part of the charging industry, this episode provides an inside look at what it actually takes to make EV charging work across Australia.