NSW Health expands EV charging capability

NSW Health has partnered with Schneider Electric and Aeron Group to upgrade electric vehicle charging infrastructure across two of its major hospitals.

The project forms part of the NSW Government’s Net Zero Government Operations policy, which requires all new state government passenger vehicles to be electric by 30 June 2030, with 50% adoption by 30 June 2026.

For NSW Health, the upgrade is expected to cut transport-related emissions linked to fleet operations as well as staff, patient and visitor travel, a significant contributor to its overall carbon footprint.

Tim Pratt, Vice President Power Products at Schneider Electric, said the transition reflects a broader shift across essential services.

“NSW Health’s transition to electric vehicles is both a policy requirement and a health imperative. Reducing transport emissions across hospital fleets directly contributes to cleaner air and healthier communities,” Pratt said.

A challenging rollout

Since the charging upgrades were completed in 24-hour hospital environments, they required a staged delivery to avoid disruption to clinical services.

Aeron Group worked with site stakeholders to upgrade existing EV infrastructure, installing 36 Schneider Electric Pro AC chargers and 2 Pro DC chargers across the sites to support a growing staff fleet.

Another challenge was that aging digital systems posed a risk of costly electrical upgrades to accommodate increased charging demand.

To avoid having to undertake major grid works, the project deployed Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure EV Charging Expert Load Management System. Its Dynamic Load Management capability is designed to balance power demand across chargers in real time, preventing overload, reducing peak demand and avoiding significant infrastructure upgrades.

“These facilities operate around the clock, so our priority was delivering reliable EV charging infrastructure without disrupting staff or patient services,” said Ben Espinoza, Managing Director at Aeron Group.

“Working with Schneider Electric’s technology, we were able to overcome aging digital infrastructure and implement Dynamic Load Management to ensure safe, stable and scalable charging.”

Images courtesy of Schneider Electric.