Tesla plans to increase its number of fast chargers in Kaniva, a small farming town in western Victoria with about 800 residents, from 10 to 18. Local businesses are enthusiastic about the boost this will provide to tourism and economic activity; for instance, Bob Cane, owner of a local pub, sees it as an opportunity to attract more visitors to his quaint town. Residents have until next Monday to voice any objections to these plans, which could help solidify Kaniva's reputation as an essential charging stop between Melbourne and Adelaide.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-12,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
In short:
Tesla hopes to nearly double the number of fast chargers it has in the country town of Kaniva from 10 to 18.
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it → hop → 18
Experts say more investment is required to ensure EV charging infrastructure keeps up with vehicle sales.
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infrastructure → say → sales
Residents have until next Monday to object to the company's plans.
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Residents → have → plans
On a long stretch of highway roughly halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide is a farming town hoping to cement its reputation as an electric vehicle (EV) charging must-see.
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town → hop → see
The western Victorian farming town of Kaniva, with a population of roughly 800 people, already has 10 Tesla Superchargers behind its quaint country pub.
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town → have → pub
The global tech giant has submitted plans to the local council to install another eight, and publican Bob Cane couldn't be happier.
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Cane → submit → eight
"It's about bringing people to Kaniva, connecting them with a classic, quintessential Australian classic town," Mr Cane said.
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Cane → bring → town
Kaniva currently markets itself as the first and last highway town in Victoria, the gateway to the Wimmera Mallee Silo Art Trail and the "home of Sheep Art".
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Kaniva → market → Art
Mr Cane said the chargers were invigorating the town and adding another string to its economy.
"When they plug in their car, what are they going to do?
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they → say → what
[They will] go for a walk into town, get a coffee, grab a hamburger," he said.
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he → go → hamburger
"The town benefits … that's a big plus for tourism because it puts Kaniva on the map."
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it → benefit → map
The Windmill Cafe owner Jemma Hill said the chargers had been a boon for the town.
"They [travellers] stop, they come over, they grab their lunch and their coffee, they come into town," she said.
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she → say → town
"It's creating extra foot traffic within the town, which is fantastic, makes it feel very alive."
A hub for travellers
The existing chargers are a lifesaver for some travellers already tackling the trek between Melbourne and Adelaide.
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chargers → create → Melbourne
"We do this trip a few times a year …
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We → do → trip
If we didn't have this, we couldn't get [to Melbourne]," Tom Beresford said.
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Beresford → have → Melbourne
West Wimmera Shire Council deputy mayor Helen Hobbs said the site, which has been open for about nine months, had already made a difference in the town.
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which → say → town
"That has actually given people like the bakery confidence to invest," Cr Hobbs said.
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Hobbs → give → confidence
"To have a brand new bakery with seating for 100 people, it's beyond anything I could have imagined.
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I → have → anything
"
Need for more infrastructure
EV sales doubled in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to the Electric Vehicle Council of Australia.
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Need → double → Australia
The council's Aman Gaur attributed the jump to cheaper EVs, rising fuel costs and improved charging networks.
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Gaur → attribute → EVs
"We're now up to 4,200 charging locations across Australia and over 11,000 connectors," Mr Gaur said.
"
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Gaur → say → Australia
Charging stations have definitely been increasing in Victoria and the number of connectors has also been following suit."
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number → increase → suit
Ampol this month paid $225 million to buy Evie, one of the country's largest charging networks.
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Ampol → pay → networks
University of Melbourne associate professor of urban resilience and mobility Milad Haghani said charging infrastructure would have a serious job keeping up if the EV sales boom continued.
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boom → say → job
"It's hard to predict whether or not the spike in demand that we have observed this year is going to be sustainable," he said.
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he → predict → that
"But if even a fraction of this demand continues into the future, that means that the infrastructure has some catching up to do.
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infrastructure → continue → catching
"
Public chargers have rarely had queues, he said, but that could change as more people buy EVs.
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people → have → EVs
"If we wait for the demand … [to grow more] before we invest in the infrastructure, we may lag far behind,"he said.
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we → wait → infrastructure
The waiting game
The West Wimmera Shire Council has published Tesla's planning application online while it assesses the proposal.
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it → publish → proposal
The application says the upgrade would cost $250,000 and that the existing 10-stall site, open for about nine months, has exceeded the company's expectations.
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site → say → expectations
A traffic report filed with the application says 10 to 20 EVs charge at the site each day, with holidays a natural peak period.
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holidays → file → period
Residents have until next Monday to lodge an objection to Tesla's plans.
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Residents → have → plans
Mr Cane said it's about making the town ready for whatever happens next.
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whatever → say → ?
"While they're here, they've got the availability of these Superchargers and we're ready for the future," he said.
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he → get → future
The Aporia