Kaniva wants to be known as an EV charging hub

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.

The western Victorian farming town of Kaniva, with a population of roughly 800 people, already has 10 Tesla Superchargers behind its quaint country pub.

The global tech giant has submitted plans to the local council to install another eight, and publican Bob Cane couldn't be happier.

"It's about bringing people to Kaniva, connecting them with a classic, quintessential Australian classic town," Mr Cane said.

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".

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? [They will] go for a walk into town, get a coffee, grab a hamburger," he said.

"The town benefits … that's a big plus for tourism because it puts Kaniva on the 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.

"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.

"We do this trip a few times a year … If we didn't have this, we couldn't get [to Melbourne]," Tom Beresford said.

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.

"That has actually given people like the bakery confidence to invest," Cr Hobbs said.

"To have a brand new bakery with seating for 100 people, it's beyond anything I could have imagined."

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.

The council's Aman Gaur attributed the jump to cheaper EVs, rising fuel costs and improved charging networks.

"We're now up to 4,200 charging locations across Australia and over 11,000 connectors," Mr Gaur said.

"Charging stations have definitely been increasing in Victoria and the number of connectors has also been following suit."

Ampol this month paid $225 million to buy Evie, one of the country's largest charging 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.

"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.

"But if even a fraction of this demand continues into the future, that means that the infrastructure has some catching up to do."

Public chargers have rarely had queues, he said, but that could change as more people buy EVs.

"If we wait for the demand … [to grow more] before we invest in the infrastructure, we may lag far behind,"

he said.

The waiting game

The West Wimmera Shire Council has published Tesla's planning application online while it assesses the 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.

A traffic report filed with the application says 10 to 20 EVs charge at the site each day, with holidays a natural peak period.

Residents have until next Monday to lodge an objection to Tesla's plans.

Mr Cane said it's about making the town ready for whatever happens next.

"While they're here, they've got the availability of these Superchargers and we're ready for the future," he said.