Bunnings shoppers have discovered a surprising new car park feature – and it’s winning praise from electric vehicle owners across the country.
The hardware giant has quietly rolled out powerful new 120kW EV chargers in car parks at select stores, including at Bunnings Alexandria in Sydney, and customers are thrilled.
EV advocate and Sydney-based electrification expert Sarah Aubrey expressed her excitement on social media after spotting the new installation, calling it a ‘brilliant’ addition for drivers and people with mobility challenges.
‘Look at these new chargers at Bunnings Alexandria,’ she said in a now-viral video.
‘There are marked-out bays and lots of space, so if you have a mobility issue, it will be easy to get in and out of your car.’
Setting the scene for how the new chargers will change the way customers shop, Sarah explained: ‘You’re at Bunnings, you’re spending some time here lollygagging, and 120KW is really fast, so you’ll be good to go.
‘I am so stoked about that. That is awesome.’
She added: ‘Hardware stores are the perfect place for EV chargers.’
According to the Exploren app, the chargers operate at a rate of $0.60 per kilowatt hour, with the potential to add hundreds of kilometres of range in the time it takes to browse the aisles or grab a sausage sizzle.
Bunnings shoppers have discovered a surprising new feature in select store carparks – and it’s winning praise from electric vehicle owners across the country
The rollout, which includes a mix of 22kW, 50kW, and 120kW chargers, has so far reached 14 Bunnings locations across Victoria, NSW, Western Australia, and New Zealand.
Clear signage and instructions are provided at each site to guide customers through the charging process.
Enthusiastic EV owners have taken to online forums to share their excitement.
‘It’s about time. That’s a great place to put them,’ one shopper said.
‘Bunnings is weirdly one of the random companies at the forefront of EV electrification. Love it! We need more of this in public places,’ another shared.
One driver who tested the Kingsgrove charger was also impressed, saying: ‘Can confirm it works well. It gave a very consistent 118kW on my (Hyundai) IONIQ 5.’
FEMAIL has contacted Bunnings for comment.
Rod Caust, the Bunnings director of stores, said the new chargers were one of the warehouse giant’s moves to ‘meet the changing needs’ of its customers.
‘As electric vehicles become more common in Australia and New Zealand, we’re installing EV charging stations in some of our store car parks so our customers with EVs can charge up while they shop,’ Mr Caust told Yahoo News.
With electric vehicles becoming more common on Australian roads, the move by Bunnings is being hailed as a smart, practical step that’s likely to attract even more eco-conscious customers.
And with the added convenience of charging while shopping for garden tools or home improvements, it seems Bunnings has once again tapped into what Aussies want – before they even asked.
