If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em? – Ampol buys charging network Evie

Australia’s fuel giant Ampol has agreed to purchase 100% of EV charging company Evie.

Fast Cities Australia, Evie’s parent company was purchased for $AUD225 million and will take the Ampol tally of chargers to a number greater than Tesla.

This will mean the Ampol/Evie network will total around 1.425 charging bays nationally at over 400 locations.

So is this move a case of hedging your bets or going all-in on the future of motoring?

It is certainly an indication that this legacy business sees a future in electric vehicles and wants to be a part of it. No better way to acquire market share than to buy one of the largest networks.

The move comes as Australians transition to electric vehicles at an astonishing rate, spurred by fuel price surges as a result of trouble in the middle east

In August this year pure electric vehicles (BEV) – 27,078 outsold both petrol – 25,824 and diesel – 23,608 and presently approximately 25% of new cars sold in Australia is a BEV.

Ampol Managing Director and CEO Matt Halliday said the acquisition of Evie positions Ampol to capture growth as the uptake of EVs and charging demand continues to gather momentum.

“For Ampol, EV charging is ultimately a question of disciplined investment at the right time. That means closely monitoring customer behaviour, EV uptake, site economics, grid connections and the broader charging network to ensure our capital is deployed where it can create the greatest value,” Halliday said.

Ampol revealed that with the increase in EV sales they had seen significant growth in the utilisation of their existing charging network.

“Within the AmpCharge network, utilisation has increased year on year, with charging sessions increasing 116% and energy supplied increasing 120% in the first half of 2026.

“This gives us confidence in the strength of the business case that complements our traditional fuels business,” Halliday added.

The announcement went on to quote Mr Halliday to say that “A substantial portion of Australian households have no practical means of charging at home, while public infrastructure is also critical for commercial fleets, rideshare operators and customers travelling longer distances,”

The news comes at an interesting time as it was only about a year ago that Ampol sold their retail electricity division “Ampol Energy” to AGL

There is no information on what branding the charging network may carry. Will it be AmpCharge, Evie or some sort of hybrid?

The acquisition remains subject to regulatory approval and is anticipated for completion in the first half of 2027.