Kaniva to become EV charging hotspot with plans for 8 new Tesla Superchargers

A small farming town in western Victoria is hoping to cement its reputation as a must-see destination for electric vehicle (EV) owners, with plans to nearly double the number of Tesla Superchargers in the area.

Kaniva, with a population of around 800 people, is situated roughly halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide and already boasts 10 Tesla Superchargers behind its local pub. The town's publican, Bob Cane, is thrilled with the proposal to install an additional eight chargers.

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

Kaniva has been marketing 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". The town has been adorned with painted sheep since 2012.

Mr Cane believes the chargers will invigorate the town and add 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 from the chargers, which is a big plus for tourism, putting Kaniva on the map. Bob Cane is hoping the new Supercharger stations will be up and running before Christmas.

Jemma Hill, owner of the Windmill Cafe, agrees that the chargers have 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."

The existing chargers have been 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."

According to the Electric Vehicle Council of Australia, EV sales doubled in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year. 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.

University of Melbourne associate professor of urban resilience and mobility Milad Haghani said charging infrastructure would have to catch 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."

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.

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.