CitiPower and Powercor Launch Kerbside EV Chargers on Chargefox Network

CitiPower kerbside EV chargers are now live with Powercor on the Chargefox network across Melbourne and parts of regional Victoria. Updated 23 July 2026.

The posts target streets where apartment towers and rentals leave drivers without a driveway plug. If you park on the kerb most nights, this is the story that matters.

What’s Gone Live

Per Chargefox’s news update, the first wave covers kerbside posts in CitiPower and Powercor distribution areas. Gear sits on lamp posts or dedicated street furniture rather than new buildings or dedicated multi-bay car parks.

These are Type 2 AC units in the roughly 7–11 kW band. They’re built for long stays, not a 20-minute highway top-up. You start sessions in the Chargefox app with the same account you’d use on Chargefox DC sites. Pricing is per kWh, which fits slower overnight fills better than per-minute highway rates.

Why Kerbside Charging Matters for Renters

Home charging is still the cheapest, easiest habit. But you need a dedicated bay to install it. Apartment dwellers, renters in older stock, and anyone living street-park-only can’t run a wallbox.

Without street posts, those drivers lean on workplace plugs or DC fast chargers. Both cost more and eat time. Kerbside AC aims to recreate the “plug in when you park” routine for people who never get a garage.

How a Session Usually Works

Park in or near the marked bay, open Chargefox, start the session, plug in. Charging runs until the battery is full, you end the session, or a council time cap kicks in. Some councils use 4–8 hour limits so bays turn over.

Parking in a charger bay doesn’t always mean you must charge. If signs mark the space EV-only for set hours, non-EVs or idle EVs can still attract fines. Read the plate on the post before you settle in.

Where to Find Them

Early sites skew to dense residential streets with scarce off-street parking. CitiPower covers much of inner Melbourne. Powercor covers western Melbourne and regional Victoria towns in its footprint.

Exact pins show in the Chargefox app and on our EV charger locations map. Look for Chargefox listings flagged as kerbside or street posts. More sites are planned as councils and the distributors agree on poles that won’t wreck existing street works.

Cost Versus Home and DC Fast

Expect street AC to land above a typical residential tariff and below most DC fast rates. Chargefox sets the live per-kWh figure in the app, so check before you start rather than trusting a screenshot from last month.

For someone without home charging, the premium over household power is the price of not detouring to a highway-style DC bay and waiting half an hour for a routine top-up.

For broader energy policy context in Australia, see energy.gov.au.

Time Limits, Booking and Who It Suits

Councils police time caps differently. Some check active charging; others wait for obvious abuse. Don’t unplug someone else’s lead. Report overstays via council or Chargefox support.

Kerbside posts are first-come, first-served. The app shows busy or free, but you generally can’t book ahead. Popular evening spots may fill early in the rollout.

Best fit: apartment or rental drivers who park on-street and top up a few times a week. Poor fit: anyone who needs rapid turnaround or can’t park near a live post.

What Drivers Should Do Now

Create or refresh your Chargefox account before you need a night charge. Save a couple of nearby kerbside pins plus a backup DC site. Check signage the first time you use a new bay. And if you’re mid-trip rather than parking overnight, stick to DC corridors. These AC posts aren’t built for a quick highway stop.

Frequently Asked Questions