In February 2025, Destination NSW and DCCEEW launched a marketing campaign called ‘Recharge Here’ to promote EV road tripping across NSW.

The campaign was devised under a MoU between the two NSW government agencies, which also included a webinar and online resource to support visitor economy businesses in creating EV-friendly experiences.

The cross-government initiative was designed to deliver on priorities including:

  • NSW Electric Vehicle Strategy: Supporting the transition to a net zero economy by increasing EV adoption, including the development of ‘EV Tourist Drives’.
  • NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2030: Delivering an expanded road trip program with sustainability at its core, encouraging regional dispersal and shoulder season travel.

The campaign was informed by research that revealed NSW EV drivers and intenders believed road tripping in an EV required more planning, they were worried about being stranded without a charger and were unaware of the significant improvements in regional EV charging infrastructure across NSW.

These insights highlighted the need to shift perceptions and build confidence in regional EV travel and EV adoption in NSW.

Therefore, the primary campaign objectives were to showcase the robust EV charging infrastructure across the state, reducing range anxiety and encouraging shoulder season travel and regional dispersal.

The campaign featured nine EV-friendly road trips in Greater Sydney and regional NSW, each meeting the EV-friendly standard of at least two DC plugs and one AC plug every 100km.

The itineraries included the locations of EV charging stations along routes.

The campaign creative was developed as an extension of Destination NSW’s Feel New brand and aimed to support the sustainable growth of regional visitor economies.

The marketing concept was crafted to highlight both the practical reality of the growing network of EV chargers across regional NSW as well as the emotional benefit of ‘recharging your own batteries’ through a regional NSW road trip.

By combining infrastructure confidence with aspirational storytelling, the campaign inspired EV drivers to explore regional NSW with ease and convenience.

According to campaign research, 71 per cent of those exposed to the campaign would be confident taking an EV on a road trip in regional NSW – an uplift of 25 per cent versus non-campaign recognisers.

The campaign spotlighted more than 320 regional NSW tourism
experiences across owned, earned and paid channels.

By elevating these operators within curated itineraries, the campaign increased consideration among a growing, high value, EV-driving audience.

In addition, the campaign:

  • Encouraged visitation to destinations with EV infrastructure, supporting local businesses and councils that have invested in
    sustainability.
  • Supported the sustainable growth of regional visitor economies, as outlined in the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy.
  • Aligned with broader government goals for a net zero economy.