ARENA funds apartment EV charging programs as startups tackle strata barriers

Latest funding targets apartment charging uncertainty

Australian charging startup Alchemy Charge has secured $2 million in funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency for a nationwide program aimed at making EV charging more accessible for people living in apartments, ESD News reports. The program, called Strata Assist, combines a standalone digital engagement platform with affordable smart charging infrastructure to help residents, landlords, strata managers and owners corporations work through whether and how charging can be installed in their buildings. ¹

ESD News reports that program partners include Origin Energy, Climate Salad and NHP. For EV owners, uncertainty about strata permissions, electrical requirements and installation costs can leave them relying on charging away from home, and for prospective buyers those unanswered questions can delay the decision to go electric. ¹

"People shouldn't have to become experts in strata processes or electrical infrastructure just to work out whether they can charge an electric car at home," Alchemy Charge CEO Yasemin Selvi said, according to ESD News. "Whether you already drive an EV or are thinking about buying one, the questions are often the same: Can I get approval? How difficult will installation be? And what will it cost?" ¹

How the SmartPoint technology works

Alongside the digital platform, the program will deploy Alchemy Charge's SmartPoint charging infrastructure. SmartPoints are individually metered smart power sockets supported by cloud-based load management, designed to manage charging demand within a building's assessed electrical capacity. According to ESD News, this approach can help reduce the need for costly main switchboard upgrades where site conditions allow, though installations remain subject to electrical assessment and design. ¹

Origin Energy will act as the charge point operator for participating buildings, integrating SmartPoints and supported Level 2 chargers with its Origin 360 EV Charge Platform and supporting project delivery, maintenance and ongoing operations, ESD News reports. ¹

"Building a more sustainable future starts with making change practical," Selvi said in comments reported by ESD News. "We're helping apartment communities understand their options, make the most of the infrastructure they already have, and invest confidently in what they need." ¹

Launch timing and what is confirmed

The standalone Strata Assist digital platform is scheduled to launch on 1 February 2027, according to ESD News. The SmartPoint hardware deployments sit alongside the platform, and their availability to any individual building will depend on participation, site electrical assessment and design, which ESD News notes remain conditions of installation rather than guarantees. ¹

The funding amount and program structure are reported by ESD News; ARENA's own published project details for the Alchemy Charge program, including any formal project milestones beyond the platform launch date, are not set out in the reported material. ¹

A second ARENA-backed apartment charging model

Alchemy Charge is not the only Australian startup receiving federal support for apartment charging. In April 2026, EV Infrastructure News reported that Sydney-based company ReadySteadyPlug secured AU$1.51 million (US$1.08 million) from ARENA under the Driving the Nation Program to accelerate rollout of its EV Charging-as-a-Service solution in apartments and strata buildings across Australia. ²

EV Infrastructure News reported that the ReadySteadyPlug funding will support installation of up to 428 EV chargepoints and associated infrastructure, and that combined with contributions from customers and the company, total rollout funding comes to AU$3.49 million. The company's pay-as-you-go approach uses standard power outlets with smartphone access control, cloud-based metering and automated billing to deliver a Level 1 charging solution, with Dynamic Load Management to ensure a building's maximum electricity supply is never exceeded. ²

"We know that a lack of access to charging infrastructure at home can be a huge barrier to EV uptake for the millions of Australians who live in apartment buildings," ReadySteadyPlug CEO Jukka Sintonen said, according to EV Infrastructure News. The company says residents who do not want a chargepoint do not pay for charging infrastructure or unused electricity, while owners corporations receive quarterly reimbursement for electricity used by residents. ²

Context: ARENA's Driving the Nation Program

ARENA CEO Darren Miller told EV Infrastructure News that the absence of simple, affordable charging at home remains a real barrier to EV adoption for millions of Australians living in apartments, and that funding aims to demonstrate solutions that lower the cost and complexity of charger installation while providing a replicable blueprint for other strata communities. ²

The Driving the Nation Program has allocated AU$266 million to date for road transport projects, EV Infrastructure News reports. Other recent announcements under the program include AU$18.1 million to Flow Power for ultrafast charging stations and AU$2.3 million to Essential Energy for rural and regional charging infrastructure. ²

The two projects take different technical approaches: ReadySteadyPlug's model delivers Level 1 charging through standard power outlets with minimal upfront investment for owners corporations, while Alchemy Charge's Strata Assist pairs a decision-support platform with individually metered SmartPoint sockets and supported Level 2 chargers operated by Origin Energy. Both target the same documented barrier — that apartment residents face cost, electrical complexity and strata approval hurdles that stand between them and home charging. ¹²