A deceptive Instagram Reel is making the rounds, supposedly showing an NRMA EV charging station being powered “24 hours a day, 7 days a week” by a diesel generator:
But is this the truth? No, of course not. If you pay attention to the video, you will see solar panels on the roof the charging station, which feed into large battery banks. These battery banks then power two 75 kW chargers.
The station does contain a backup diesel generator which automatically switches on when the solar panels aren’t producing enough power and battery levels are low, which may take several overcast days – which isn’t common in Alice Springs, near where this video was filmed. Importantly, even when these generators are running, they can still be fueled by environmentally friendlier bio-diesels.
