Foton and Ampol partner to look at commercial charging capabilities. The pair will work together on exploring a public electric vehicle charging network using commercial hubs and private depots Foton Mobility Distribution (FMD) has announced a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) partnership with a leading transport energy provider to explore e-mobility charging solutions. The new MU with Ampol will see both parties look at solutions across Ampol's AmpCharge public electric vehicle charging network, as well as at commercial charging hubs and at private depots for FMD's electric bus and vehicle fleet. "While most EV trucks are currently charging at their respective depots, due to limited availability of truck-ready public charging sites, the ability to venture further afield with confidence using Ampol's public network would materially enhance the ownership experience," FMD general manager light duty trucks Geoff Carroll says. "The compatibility testing being undertaken between FMD trucks and Ampol's AmpCharge electric vehicle charging solutions network demonstrates collaboration required to overcome barriers to adoption for customers." Ampol head of energy business solutions Rebecca Wilson says the collaborative approach will demonstrate how businesses can work together to make going electric simpler and more rewarding for heavy vehicle transport members. "Ampol remains committed to supporting the evolving transport energy needs of our business customers. The ongoing rollout of our public EV charging network, combined with workplace charging solutions, continues to build confidence in customers that they can charge safely and reliably," Wilson says. "Heavy transport presents unique challenges that differ from passenger EV charging, from higher energy demands and longer dwell times, to route planning across long-haul corridors. Working closely with FMD allows us to tailor our AmpCharge infrastructure and depot charging solutions to meet the real-world operational needs of fleet operators, so businesses can transition to electric without compromising on uptime, range confidence or efficiency." Read more:

The Australian-first grid connection that could transform the rollout of EV fast-chargers. Sep 21, 2026 Two weeks ago, something quietly changed at an Ampol service station north of Wyong in NSW that could revolutionise the way Australia connects EV chargers, and other major electricity users, to the grid. For the first time in Australia, an EV charging station began operating under a dynamic connection agreement that allows it to tap into spare grid capacity when it is available, then reduce its demand during the few days each year when the network is under pressure. The agreement between Ampol's AmpCharge business, and distribution network Ausgrid, has turned what could have been a multimillion-dollar grid connection into one costing just $90,000. The agreement means that the eight charging bays - each providing up to 200 kW - are being installed at a lower cost and more quickly, and with more capacity than could have been considered before. If the model can be replicated, it could help overcome one of the biggest obstacles to Australia's EV charging rollout: the cost and time involved in connecting high-powered chargers to the grid. Ampol has previously warned that network connection problems are holding back its charging rollout. But Patrick Luxton from Ampol told the Everything Electric conference in Sydney that the two companies have found a new way forward. "We have learned how to work together," he said. Ausgrid operates the electricity distribution network across parts of Sydney, the Central Coast and the Hunter. Head of Customer Network Solutions, Adam Baxter told the Everything Electric conference, a standard high-speed charger can require as much power as a 15 or 16-storey apartment building. Traditionally, when a large customer like an EV charging company seeks a grid connection, the network calculates the maximum amount of electricity the site could ever use and designs the connection on the assumption it could draw that much electricity continuously. "We assume they use that every day of the week," Baxter said. "We're making them much larger than they need to be, on the odd chance that everyone uses the maximum supply at the same time." That can force businesses to fund substantial upgrades to poles, wires, transformers or substations before they can connect. The infrastructure can cost millions of dollars and take more than a year to upgrade, even though the extra network capacity may be needed only during rare demand peaks. With the AmpCharge project, Ausgrid has flipped that model on its head. "EV chargers don't use their maximum demand all day, every day. They fluctuate. So can we give them a connection that allows for that fluctuation?" Baxter said. The answer is a dynamic operating envelope that allows the charging site to draw more electricity when capacity is available, but requires it to reduce demand when the local grid is under pressure. AmpCharge receives real-time information from Ausgrid's distribution management system showing how much network capacity is available. It has a guaranteed fixed capacity, plus additional dynamic capacity that can be curtailed when necessary. On a very hot afternoon, for example, when air conditioners are driving demand towards its peak, Ausgrid can send AmpCharge a signal requiring the site to reduce its consumption. Ausgrid's Connections Manager Angela Burford told Renew Economy the chargers would continue operating during those events. "The chargers will still operate. They'll just be charging a bit slower." "We'll turn that connection down maybe two or three days a year, and they will save thousands and thousands of dollars in their connection fees," Baxter said. If AmpCharge fails to reduce its draw on the grid at peak times, Ausgrid has a circuit breaker - "a kill switch" - it can operate. The Ampol location north of Wyong is particularly suited to this type of connection. It has charging sites on both sides of the M1 motorway, with eight passenger vehicle charging bays as well as facilities for heavy vehicles. The two sites can shift load between them, giving AmpCharge more flexibility to manage charging demand. The northbound site is now operational, with the southbound facility expected to open in November ahead of the Christmas holiday rush. But the project's significance extends well beyond one highway charging station. Australia will need thousands of new fast-charging locations as passenger and heavy vehicle fleets electrify, and manufacturers and other major energy users need more electricity. Building the network to meet every customer's theoretical maximum demand would be extraordinarily expensive. Allowing flexible loads to respond to real network conditions could instead make better use of infrastructure that already exists. Consumer energy advocate, and the consumer representative on the Federal government's Data Standards Advisory Committee, Tim Ryan says this is precisely the kind of thinking needed to improve the productivity of the grid. "This is fantastic because it's driving the most important part of what I talk about the consumer's grid. It's about lifting productivity of the whole network." Ryan believes charging businesses could eventually add batteries at these sites, storing energy when spare grid capacity is available and using it to charge vehicles during busier periods. "This is the way forward in terms of the network actually dealing with these bigger customers in order to get the most out of what we already have in the grid." Ausgrid is now working on a low-voltage version of the dynamic connection and talking with other charging companies about sites near its distribution substations. The ambition is to turn a first-of-its-kind project into a connection model that can be rolled out at scale. If those lessons can now be standardised, the result could be faster electrification, dramatically lower connection costs and a network capable of serving many more customers who don't have to wait years for expensive upgrades.

Soul Origin to double store network to 400 locations over 10 years. Fast-casual chain Soul Origin plans to more than double its store network to approximately 400 locations globally over the next 10 years. The company, which marks its 15th anniversary this year, has grown into a network of 178 locations with around 22 million customer visits each year. Opening 15 to 20 stores annually across Australia, New Zealand and additional international markets will drive the expansion. Shifting out of the food court. Alongside continued growth in shopping centres, Soul Origin will add more regional, drive-through, airport, hospital, university and service-centre locations. Six new stores are scheduled to open before Christmas, including a new company-owned flagship at Sydney International Airport. Highway retailing forms a central pillar of the push. Soul Origin operates a hybrid service-centre format in partnership with fuel retailer Ampol, with two additional co-located sites scheduled to open before the end of the year. The business is scouting further roadside and regional plots across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. Trans-Tasman growth and extended trading. New Zealand represents the immediate cross-border priority. The company currently runs four stores across the country and has mapped out approximately 10 additional openings there over the next two years. Longer operating hours in roadside and transit hubs require a wider menu. Kitchens across the network are rolling out hot dinner items, matcha drinks and expanded iced beverage selections. Soul Origin is also taking side dishes and add-ons first tested in its drive-through prototypes and adding them to traditional metro counters. Franchise pressures and highway formats. Transitioning from enclosed shopping mall food courts into roadside and transit locations alters the underlying store economics. Food court units rely on captive foot traffic with heavy daytime peaks, whereas highway service centres and airport terminals demand split-shift staffing, higher capital expenditure for kitchen fit-outs and steady evening volume to recover rent. Competing quick-service operators across Australia and the wider region have pursued identical fuel-convenience partnerships to escape rising mall occupancy costs. For Soul Origin, sustaining average transaction values during afternoon and dinner trading will determine whether these extended-hour formats generate acceptable returns for franchise partners. Management transition at fifteen years. The expansion plan arrives as the company marks 15 years since its founding as a single family-run food outlet. Current chief financial officer George Gebran will step into the chief executive role on October 1 to manage the operational expansion. Co-founder and current managing director Hao Quach will step down from day-to-day management on the same date. Quach will remain with the business to focus on long-term strategy, market entry and corporate development. Network development will center on the delivery of the six pre-Christmas openings, the performance of the new Sydney Airport terminal site, and the execution of the 10-store pipeline planned for New Zealand through 2028. Questions & answers. Q. What is the expected growth rate per year to achieve the target of 400 locations? A. The company plans to open 15 to 20 stores annually across Australia, New Zealand, and other international markets to reach its network goal. Q. What types of new locations will Soul Origin be expanding into beyond shopping centres? Q. How will the company adapt its menu for the new roadside and transit hub locations? Q. What change is happening in the company's leadership team as the expansion plan begins? Reader pulse Soul Origin's expansion strategy? 22,742 votes so far