What an EV charging station costs for a business in Australia

A business EV charger costs about $1,500 to $2,600 for one 22 kW AC unit at a simple site, and up to $10,000 once switchboard and cable work are added. A 50 kW DC fast charger runs $25,000 to $50,000 installed, and 150 kW units $80,000 to $150,000 or more. Grid connection can add six figures.

A commercial EV charger is not one price. A wall-mounted 22 kW AC unit can be bought for about $1,100 to $2,300, while a 150 kW DC charger can cost $80,000 to $150,000 or more installed, with a network upgrade on top if the site needs one. The spread comes from the power rating, the switchboard and cable run, and the grid. This guide sets out published Australian prices for AC and DC chargers, what sits around the hardware, which grants are open, what a charger can earn, and how a business funds the project. It suits fleets, car parks, service stations, hotels and shopping centres.

What commercial EV chargers cost

This guide covers business sites, not home chargers. The prices below are published Australian prices checked on 22 October 2026. They are indicative market data from retailers and installers, not Ventas offers, and most pages do not say whether GST is included. Unit only means the charger without installation. Installed means the installer's range for a finished job.

AC chargers (7 to 22 kW), used for staff, guest and fleet parking.

DC fast chargers (50 kW and above), used for public sites, service stations and busy fleets.

Three things stand out. First, the same 22 kW rating is $1,100 to $2,600 as a unit or a simple install, and $5,000 to $10,000 in the Melbourne guide. The pages do not explain the gap, so get at least two quotes. Second, Australian suppliers rarely publish DC prices. EVSE Australia lists its 60 kW and 120 kW chargers as in stock with a Contact Us button, and the two installers that publish a hardware range disagree ($15,000 to $50,000+ against $30,000 to $150,000+). Treat DC figures as ranges until you hold a written quote. Third, we found no published commercial price for Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT or the Northern Territory, and network rules differ by state, so a Sydney price is a guide and not a quote.

Switchboard, cable and grid connection costs

The charger is rarely the whole bill. A 22 kW unit needs a three-phase supply and a switchboard check, a group of chargers needs load management, and a DC charger can need a bigger network connection than the site has. These are the published figures.

Grid cost is the swing factor. The Ampol and Ausgrid site paid $90,000 because Ausgrid agreed a connection that can be cut back on the two or three days a year the local grid is under pressure. The article describes the conventional alternative as multimillion dollars. For public high-power sites, NSW reports that, as of December 2025, $76 million of co-funding across rounds 1 to 3 backed 1,032 bays at 184 sites and drew $195 million of private investment. If those two figures cover the full project cost, that is about $271 million, or roughly $1.5 million a site and $263,000 a bay (our arithmetic). Round 4's caps point the same way: a metro station that hits the $300,000 cap at 40% costs at least $750,000, and a regional one at the $550,000 cap and 50% costs at least $1.1 million (our arithmetic). Those are 4-bay and 3-bay stations with at least two 240 kW or 175 kW DC chargers, far bigger than a hotel or depot install.

Ask your network operator for a connection offer before you pay for hardware. It is the one cost you cannot estimate from a price list.

Software, network fees and warranty

Few suppliers publish these. Chargefox's host page lists no fees. It says the host controls the price drivers pay and that Chargefox bills drivers and settles to the host each month. EVSE Australia says its Exploren platform carries "a small data management fee" per charger, plus possible annual internet data and 4G fees, with amounts given by phone. The Ocular DC pages list a two-year warranty. WA's Charge Up program required a two-year software subscription from an approved supplier, and a two-year maintenance plan for public chargers, so treat both as normal line items.

Before you sign, ask each supplier in writing for the platform fee per charger, SIM and data charges, any share of driver payments, the warranty length, and the price of a service plan. Your electricity tariff, including any demand charge from your retailer, is a running cost that depends on your own bill, so model it from that.

Grants and incentives: what is open

Programs open and close often. This is the position on 22 October 2026, taken from the official pages.

Most small businesses cannot claim a charger-only grant today. The federal rebate is for dealers and repairers, and the NSW incentive is tied to buying electric vehicles. NSW also announced a further $11.5 million fleet round on 19 September 2026, with up to $8,000 per DC port and $2,000 per AC port for fleets of 21 or more vehicles. The release gave no dates. NRMA's summary, last updated 19 June 2026, lists the business charger programs in the Northern Territory, the ACT, Victoria and Tasmania as closed. Confirm any program on its official page before you budget around it.

What a charger earns

Public networks charge drivers roughly $0.43 to $0.73 a kWh: Tesla Supercharger $0.43 to $0.69, Chargefox $0.45 to $0.60, Evie $0.58 to $0.73 and Jolt $0.46 (Evee roundup, updated 22 March 2026, operator sources not stated). Each 10,000 kWh sold grosses $4,300 to $7,300 (our arithmetic). That is before your electricity cost, platform fees and any payment share, so gross revenue overstates what you keep.

Fleets, workplaces and hotels usually do not resell power. For them the return is fuel avoided and a reason for staff or guests to choose the site. Either way, use decides payback. A DC charger that sits idle earns nothing against a repayment, so ask the installer for expected hours and kWh in the site plan.

Financing an EV charging project

EV chargers are fixed business equipment, and many lenders will fund them, but appetite is mixed. The units from established makers on a fleet or workplace site are the easy part. Lenders are more cautious about public DC sites with no trading history, about trenching and network works that stay in the ground and add little security, and about hosts who do not own the land, where the lease needs enough term to cover the loan and the landlord must consent. Some lenders cap installation costs inside the facility and some fund them in full, so the panel matters. Ventas is a finance broker, not a lender, so we do not quote rates here. They change with the lender, the security and the file.

Illustrative only, subject to lender assessment. A hotel adds one 50 kW DC charger and four 22 kW AC chargers:

And how it is typically funded across lender types:

Debt here is about 72 per cent of the project, so expect to put in a real share. If a grant applies, check when it is paid before you count it as a deposit. A property-backed loan can cover the site works and connection, which equipment finance values poorly. Ask your accountant how GST and depreciation apply to charging equipment.

What makes a charger deal fundable:

• An itemised quote. Hardware, installation and network works on separate lines.
• Site control. Ownership, or a lease with enough years left and landlord consent.
• A use case. Your own fleet or staff, or a public site with a credible plan for hours and kWh.
• Standard equipment. Recognised makers, OCPP-capable, with a warranty and a service plan.
• Your position. ABN history, financials and the security you can offer.

To get a number from Ventas, send the charger quote split into hardware, installation and network works, the site address, whether you own or lease it, and the grants you have applied for. Start at EV finance, read can I finance EV chargers, or pair the chargers with a solar system through solar equipment finance and solar and battery finance. Finance is subject to lender assessment and approval.

This is general information only and not financial, credit, or tax advice. Figures are indicative market data from the sources listed, not Ventas offers, and move with the market. Consider your own circumstances and speak to a professional. All finance is subject to lender assessment and approval.

This article is general information only and not financial, credit, or tax advice. Ventas Asset Lending is a finance broker, not a lender. Approvals are subject to lender assessment. Consider your own circumstances and speak to a qualified professional, including your accountant for any tax questions.