The Telstra Outage Stranded EV Drivers at Chargers: How to Build a Charging-Stop Kit
CarMoods TeamOn Wednesday 8 July, a disruption to Telstra's data network rippled across Australia — knocking out phone calls, mobile data and EFTPOS payments for thousands of people. Among those caught out were electric vehicle owners, after stations on Chargefox, Australia's largest public charging network, were affected when access to its smartphone app went down.
The Australian Electric Vehicle Association has since renewed calls for mandatory national standards, with vice president Jo Oddie telling CarExpert that affected chargers were "often in key regional places where there aren't alternative options, leaving EV owners high and dry in some instances". The AEVA argues chargers should default to a free charge if connectivity drops.
The timing stings: EVs claimed a record 23.3 per cent of new-vehicle sales in June, almost level with petrol, and the Tesla Model Y was the month's best-selling vehicle outright. More EVs on the road means more of us waiting at chargers — so this is a good moment to think about what lives in your boot. A little planning (and a browse of our travel and road trip essentials, Tesla accessories and BYD accessories) turns a stranded half-hour into a comfortable pit stop.
Jump to: What the outage exposed · Build a charging-stop kit · Keep devices charged · Comfort while you wait · Plan-B habits · FAQ
What the outage exposed about EV road trips
Public charging in Australia leans heavily on connectivity. Many stations authorise sessions through an app, and some take payment through EFTPOS terminals — both of which faltered during the outage. It echoed the November 2023 Optus outage, which limited access to some Evie Networks chargers to drivers carrying an RFID card.
None of this means EV touring is fragile. It means the smart EV owner treats a charging stop the way seasoned tourers treat a remote servo: assume the tech might be having a bad day, and carry what you need to wait it out gracefully.
Build a charging-stop kit that lives in the boot
Start with the cable itself. A portable charger and Type 2 lead are your fallback when a DC station is down and a destination charger or powerpoint is your plan B — but loose cables quickly turn a boot into a snake pit. A dedicated cable bag keeps everything coiled, dry and ready.
Editor's Choice
Mercedes AMG EV Charging Cable Storage Box & Trunk Organizer
Keeps charging cables coiled, protected and instantly findable instead of tangled loose in the boot.
Shop nowIf you travel with kids, a charging stop is thirty minutes of "are we there yet". A backseat organiser with a tablet pocket turns the wait into movie time, and keeps snacks and wipes where small hands can reach them.
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Car Backseat Organizer with Clear Touch Screen Tablet Holder
Turns charging stops into movie time for the back row, with storage for snacks and essentials.
Shop nowKeep your devices charged — your phone is your key
The clearest lesson from the outage: your phone is now part of the car. It holds the charging apps, the payment cards and the maps. A phone that dies at 4 per cent outside a regional charger is a genuine problem, so in-car device charging deserves the same attention as the car's own battery.
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120W Fast Car Charger 4-in-1 with Retractable Cable, Dual USB & Dual Type-C
Charges four devices at once with a built-in retractable cable, so every phone in the car stays alive.
Shop nowPro tip
Top your phone up whenever the car is moving, not once it's flat. Arriving at a charger with a full phone means you can still authorise a session by app, hotspot from a second network, or ring the network's support line if the station is offline.
Prefer something more compact for a second car? A dual USB-C fast charger covers two phones without hogging the 12V socket.
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Baseus 30W Car Charger Dual USB-C | Fast PD Charging for iPhone, Samsung, Xiaomi
Pocket-sized PD 3.0 fast charging for two devices — set-and-forget insurance for your charging apps.
Shop nowComfort while you wait: make the cabin a lounge
A 20–40 minute DC charge is only annoying if you're perched upright with nothing to lean on. EV cabins — Tesla and BYD especially — make brilliant waiting rooms with a small comfort upgrade. A proper neck pillow lets you recline the seat and actually rest, rather than scroll in an awkward slump.
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Tesla Model 3/Y Neck & Headrest Pillow
Ergonomic support that matches the minimalist Tesla cabin — recline, rest and let the car do the waiting.
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BYD Car Neck Pillow & Seat Belt Shoulder Pad
Three-point head, neck and shoulder support that makes long legs between chargers easier on everyone.
Shop nowPlan-B habits that cost nothing
Beyond kit, a few habits blunt the impact of any outage. Carry the RFID cards your charging networks offer — they authorised sessions during the 2023 Optus outage when apps couldn't. Keep a physical bank card in the visor in case tap-and-go terminals queue payments. Download offline maps for regional legs, and note a second charging network along your route so one provider's bad day doesn't end your trip. Finally, follow the tourer's rule of thumb: charge at 60 per cent when convenient rather than at 10 per cent when desperate.
Our top picks
- 🥇 Mercedes AMG EV Charging Cable Storage Box & Trunk Organizer Editor's Choice Shop →
- 🥈 120W Fast Car Charger 4-in-1 with Retractable Cable Bestseller Shop →
- 🥉 Tesla Model 3/Y Neck & Headrest Pillow Comfort Pick Shop →
The bottom line
The Telstra outage will accelerate the push for tougher charging standards — the AEVA is arguing for fallback payment systems and free-charge defaults, and with EVs now nearly a quarter of new-car sales, regulators are listening. Until then, resilience is something you can pack. Sort the cables, keep the phones charged, make the cabin comfortable, and a network outage becomes a footnote in your trip rather than the story of it. For more ideas, browse our travel and road trip essentials collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to EV chargers during the Telstra outage?
Disruptions to Telstra's data network on Wednesday 8 July affected access to the Chargefox smartphone app and interrupted EFTPOS payments at some stations, leaving some drivers unable to start a charging session — particularly at regional sites with no nearby alternative.
How can I start a charge if the network's app is down?
Carry the RFID card offered by your charging networks, keep a physical bank card for terminals that accept tap-and-go, and save the network's support phone number — operators can often start a session remotely. A charged phone also lets you hotspot from a passenger's device on a different carrier.
What should I keep in my EV for long trips?
A portable charger and Type 2 cable in a dedicated cable bag, a multi-port device charger, RFID cards, a neck pillow for charging stops, water and snacks, and offline maps for regional stretches. It all fits in one corner of the boot.
Will charging stations get more reliable?
The Australian Electric Vehicle Association is pushing for mandatory national standards, including fallback connectivity, tap-and-go payment queuing and defaulting to a free charge when connectivity drops. With EVs at a record 23.3 per cent of June sales, pressure on providers and governments is building.
