Six weeks in, the Northbound site has charged beyond its fixed grid limit and kept charging when the system adapted to supply fluctuation.
Ampol needed up to 1,200kVA at each site to run eight 200 kW charging bays. On a conventional fixed connection, Ausgrid could offer 500 kVA, enough to run two bays at full power. Closing that gap by upgrading the local feeders would have been slow and costly.
Instead, each site has 500 kVA of fixed capacity plus up to 750 kVA of flexible capacity, a connection limit of 1,250 kVA, with no network augmentation. When the network is constrained, Ausgrid’s Network Operations Centre can reduce the flexible capacity, down to the 500 kVA fixed limit. Kwetta's Prime Grid Gateway receives it over a dedicated Ausgrid link and shares it across all eight Kwetta Sky Hook chargers, responding in less than 10 seconds.
Ampol’s Northbound site on the M1 opened to the public on 11 September, with the Southbound site scheduled to open in late November. Feeder redundancy is normally something a single customer pays for as a dual supply. At Wyong, Ausgrid moved the Northbound site onto a second existing feeder through network switching, without upgrading either feeder, so each site now has its own feeder. If either feeder faults, both sites are supplied from the remaining one under the combined limit set by Ausgrid, and the two Prime Grid Gateways share the capacity between them, moving capacity to wherever drivers are charging. This is set to go live when the Southbound site opens in late November.
What gets me excited about Wyong is what happens when something goes wrong,
says Dr. Robert Turner, Kwetta Co-Founder & CTO.
If a feeder goes down, the two sites share one combined limit, and the two Prime Grid Gateways negotiate between themselves in real time to move capacity to wherever drivers are charging. That’s only possible because each Prime connects straight to Ausgrid’s high-voltage network, with the switchgear, metering, transformer and charging power electronics all in one unit. We control the whole power path, from the HV connection right through to the charger. That same control lets the site follow Ausgrid’s live operating envelope every day, drawing more power when the network isn’t constrained and backing off when it is. On commissioning day the site successfully operated well above its fixed capacity connection. That’s hardware and grid intelligence built together, working on a real network.
Electrifying transport at scale requires us to get smarter about how we use the electricity network. This project shows what’s possible when innovative technology and strong industry collaboration come together,
says Adam Baxter, Ausgrid Head of Customer Network Solutions.
The commissioning of these sites is an important milestone and demonstrates how smarter energy management can support the continued rollout of EV charging infrastructure.
We’re proud to have worked alongside Ampol and Kwetta to help bring this innovative solution to life, and we look forward to supporting the next generation of EV charging infrastructure in Australia.
Ampol, EGM, Commercial Fuels and Energy, Brent Merrick said the launch of the M1 Wyong AmpCharge sites highlights the power of industry collaboration in devising efficient and reliable solutions.
The launch of the new AmpCharge charging solution at our M1 Wyong sites is a practical demonstration of what can be achieved when energy networks, technology providers and charging operators work together to solve shared infrastructure challenges,
Merrick said.
With the opening of Southbound to follow later this month, this project will deliver a stronger and more resilient charging experience in both directions of the M1.
Wyong builds on Kwetta's dynamic operating envelope first deployed within the Ampol Group at Z Energy's Tūrangi site in New Zealand, operating since October 2024, which delivered an increase in network capacity and a reduction in network lines charges compared to a standard connection agreement. Ausgrid now offers a dynamic connection tariff for high-voltage customers, with a low-voltage version on trial in the market. Kwetta is working with networks and charge point operators across Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands to apply the same approach at constrained sites.
Wyong happened because three teams were willing to seek out an innovative approach to solving the problem together,
says Dustin Murdock, Kwetta Co-Founder & CEO.
Ampol needed capacity to deliver motorway charging, Ausgrid needed confidence it could manage that load, and our team worked alongside both to design, test and prove our solution met both needs. It’s an example of what’s possible when networks and site operators work together. It won’t fit every site, but for the right application it’s another tool in the toolkit, and one we’re keen to use again.
Kwetta is a grid-first EV charging hardware manufacturer specialising in grid services. Its Prime Grid Gateway connects directly to high-voltage networks and powers multiple EV charging dispensers, responding in real time to what the network can support so sites can use more of the available capacity without waiting for network upgrades. Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Napier, New Zealand, Kwetta designs and manufactures its hardware in New Zealand. Its technology is deployed across New Zealand, Australia and the Netherlands, and Kwetta works with electricity networks, charge point operators, fleets and energy companies. Learn more at kwetta.com.
Ampol is an independent Australian company and supplies the country's largest branded petrol and convenience network as well as refining, importing and marketing fuels and lubricants. Ampol has a deep history spanning over 100 years, having grown to become one of Australia's largest transport energy providers, including through the AmpCharge electric vehicle charging network , to support customers' evolving mobility energy needs.
Ausgrid is the largest electricity distributor on Australia’s east coast, supplying power to 1.8 million customers, representing more than four million people, across Sydney, the Central Coast and the Hunter Valley. Our network spans 22,275 square kilometres and includes 40,964 kilometres of power lines. As electricity becomes increasingly important to the lives of our customers and communities, we are evolving our network to meet their changing needs in order to deliver accessible, reliable and safe electricity for generations to come.
For further information, please contact:
Kwetta: hello@kwetta.com
Ampol Media: media@ampol.com.au
Ausgrid: news@ausgrid.com.au