Scott Carden | The NRMA: Building Australia’s EV Charging Backbone

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Episode summary

Scott Carden’s path from IT tinkerer to Head of Engineering at the NRMA shapes a systems-first approach to public EV charging. In this episode, he unpacks lessons from Erldunda’s off-grid fast-charging experiment, explains why tight integration (not just hardware) underpins reliability, and discusses how the NRMA mutual model enables coverage in locations where private CPOs won’t build.

From IT Tinkerer to Head of Engineering at the NRMA

Scott didn’t take the linear route: a teenage IT business, years in frontline roles, then a mechatronics degree as a mature-age student. His work across mines, hospitals, defence, and high-rise embedded networks gave him a whole-of-system perspective that he now applies to Australia’s EV network challenge — making fast charging reliable, equitable, and future-fit.

Key Takeaways

Off-grid is possible — if integrated well. The Erldunda (NT) site progressed from “alpha” to “beta” to today’s “release candidate,” refining integration between solar, batteries, generators, and chargers.
Integration equals reliability. EV chargers can spike from 0–100% load in a tenth of a second — faster than generators (and sometimes batteries) can respond — so tight control and coordination matter more than any single component
The NRMA mutual model fills gaps. Unlike ROI-driven private operators, the NRMA can invest in less-commercial regional and remote links to ensure national coverage.
Balance the network. The NRMA avoids “double-building” in towns with overlapping state and federal programs while targeting a charger roughly every 150 km along key corridors.
Ultra-remote economics are challenging. In harsh locations, the energy needed to keep systems online can exceed what’s sold — proving coverage and reliability matter more than near-term profit.
Graduates lift outcomes. First-principles questions from new engineers often surface simpler, stronger solutions.

The Erldunda Experiment: Alpha → Release Candidate

When the NRMA unveiled the off-grid fast-charging station at Erldunda, NT, it was a world first — an ambitious attempt to operate DC fast chargers with no grid connection. Early designs combined Tritium fast chargers, battery storage, solar, and diesel backup. On paper it worked; in practice, uncoordinated systems caused trips under sudden load spikes.

Lessons from Erldunda informed a cleaner “beta” site at Nullarbor and a more stable “release candidate” back at Erldunda — with tighter set points, faster detection of charger demand, smarter generator synchronisation, and clearer fail-safe states. The result is a proof-of-concept for what’s technically achievable in Australia’s most challenging conditions.

Why the NRMA Builds Where Others Won’t

As a mutual organisation, the NRMA reinvests for members and the public good — allowing it to build the “hard-yards” links that make long-distance EV trips possible. From the east coast to Perth, the NRMA goal is a network that lets Australians choose their route — whether via the southern highways or the long way through the NT — while balancing metro and regional locations and maintaining roughly 150 km spacing between chargers.

Culture and Team

Scott’s team blends disciplined engineering with curiosity and first-principles thinking. Graduates are given real projects early and encouraged to question assumptions.

“Engineers love to overcomplicate problems. Sometimes a graduate asks the simplest question — and it’s the one everyone else overlooked.”

At the NRMA the culture of first principles, curiosity, and integration is key to deliver projects in settings as varied as Sydney CBD carparks and outback roadhouses.

What Actually Improves Uptime (Beyond Good Hardware)

Driver-centred metrics: Track first-attempt start rate and median time-to-charge, not just fleet-wide uptime.
Fast, coordinated controls: Align inverter, battery, and generator responses to pre-empt charger spikes.
Versioned changes: Firmware rollouts in rings (canary → cohort → fleet) with auto-pause on regression signals.
Observability: High-resolution telemetry by connector, error streak logic, and deduplicated alerts.
Remote recovery first: Safe reboots, cache clears, and comms resets before sending field crews.

Why It Matters

Australia needs an EV charging backbone that gives drivers confidence to plan any trip. The NRMA approach — plugging network gaps, spacing sites sensibly, and designing for reliability — proves that dependable EV travel can extend beyond city limits and into Australia’s most remote regions.

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James Shand

Marketing Manager at Solar Choice

With half a decade experience in the solar energy industry, specialising in business strategy and marketing for solar companies. He has worked with top solar distributors in Canada and now collaborates with solar manufacturers and installers across Australia via Solar Choice, Australia's leading solar comparison platform. With degrees in business technology, science, and marketing, James combines in-depth market insights with technical knowledge, positioning him as a trusted authority in renewable energy.