Australian petroleum company Ampol has entered into a funding agreement with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to deliver a national fast-charging network to support the increasing popularity of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) the country, according to the Australiasian Fleet Management Association (AfMA).

As part of its Future Fuels Fund rollout, ARENA will provide $7.05 million to Ampol Australia Petroleum for the delivery of 121 public fast-charging stations across four regions. Sites are planned in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.

Supplied with renewable energy or covered by green certificates, the EV chargers will be capable of delivering a minimum 50kw charge to a two BEVs concurrently. Ampol will begin work on the network in the second half of 2021.

“Ampol’s national retail network, along Australia’s major highways and close to existing high-traffic roads, closely matches our country’s population and is strategically located to help minimize range anxiety for EV users,” Ampol Managing Director and CEO Matt Halliday said.

The announcement follows the release of Ampol’s Future Energy and Decarbonisation Strategy, which outlined the company’s goal of net-zero emissions from operations by 2040 and investment of more than $100 million in future energy projects through 2025.

As part of Round 1 of the Government’s Future Fuels Fund, Ampol joins four other companies—Chargefox, Electric Highways Tasmania, Engie and Evie Networks—to deliver a total of 403 new fast-charging stations.

“As the costs of electric vehicles come down, more consumers and fleet users are looking to go electric. Expanding the fast-charging network will make it easier than ever to drive an EV in Australia,” ARENA CEO Darren Miller said.

Together, the five applicants will deliver a total investment value of $79.9 million with the Round 1 rollout set to see a seven-fold increase in the number of fast charging stations in Australia’s most populated cities and regions.