You’ve got a flight to catch, and your EV’s battery is low. Will your airport parking spot include charging or leave you stranded when you return?
Right now, airport parking for EVs is hit and miss across Australia. Even though EV sales have increased in recent years, most airports haven’t kept up with this change.
We at Park&Fly solve this problem with Sydney’s premium valet parking and dedicated EV charging facilities.
We’ve also seen firsthand how this growing imbalance between EV ownership and charging availability frustrates travellers. So we’ve put together this guide to give you practical comparisons and useful tips for your next trip.
Let’s start with the biggest problems most airports face when it comes to EV charging.
What Most Airports Get Wrong About EV Charging
Most airports are failing EV owners in surprising ways. Even those offering charging often miss these basics that travellers depend on most.
Lack of Reservation Systems
Here’s something that drives EV owners mad: you can’t reserve an EV charging space at most airports like you can with regular parking. It’s all first-come, first-served with charging bays.
So you might rock up after a long drive only to find every charger taken by someone else. Australia has around 1,310 public fast-charging sites, but airports only make up a tiny slice of these.
Hidden Pricing
Next are the charging costs at airports that often hit you with nasty surprises. Some places make you pay separately for parking and charging, basically doubling your bill. Others lump it all together but don’t tell you how much each bit costs.
No Charge Guarantee
Want to know what every EV owner dreads? It’s a phantom drain. This is the slow battery drain that happens when your car sits parked, even when it’s turned off.
Tesla owners say they can lose up to 10% per day if security features are running, or about 1-2% daily with everything turned off. Most airports also won’t promise your battery will be at the same level when you get back.
Charger Type Confusion
Walk into most airport car parks and you’ll face a mess of different charger types. Some offer slow Level 1 charging that only adds 10-20km of range per hour.
Others have Level 2 chargers that give you 40-100km per hour. Then there are Tesla-only chargers that shut out all other EV brands completely. And hardly any airports clearly label what you’re actually getting.
Poor Accessibility
Too many charging stations end up in short-term parking areas or miles away from the terminal. Some need special valet services, which means extra costs and hassle. Some are even in basement spots with few signs, so it’s not easy to find them.
Missing Preparation Guidance
Finally, almost no airports explain how to get your electric car ready for a long stay. Should you turn off security features? What charge level works best for longer trips? You’re just left guessing about battery drain and how to manage everything properly.
Fortunately, we’ve got a better way to handle EV airport parking that puts electric vehicle owners first.
How Park & Fly Solves These Problems
While other airport parking services struggle with EV charging basics, we’ve built our entire approach around what electric vehicle owners actually need. Here’s how we make EV airport parking simple and stress-free.
Flat $35 EV Charging Add-On
We keep things simple with a flat $35 fee that covers everything you need for charging at Sydney Airport. It doesn’t matter if you’re going away for three days or three weeks; you pay the same amount with no nasty surprises, complicated per-kWh math, and definitely no hidden fees popping up later.
Your car gets a full charge within 24 hours before you get back, which means you’ll always drive away with a complete battery.
Easy Booking Process
You can add EV charging when you book online, just like you’d add on a car wash. But if you forget to book it beforehand, that’s totally fine. Just tell our team when you drop your car off, and we’ll get it sorted right there and then. The whole thing takes less than a minute, and you’ll know what you’re paying from the start.
Peace of Mind Design
With Park & Fly, you won’t waste time driving around looking for free charging spots or lying awake at night wondering if your battery is slowly draining while you’re on holiday. We assure you that your car will be fully charged and ready to roll when you get back. Plus, our covered car park keeps your EV safe from the weather and any security problems the entire time you’re away.
Full Valet Service Benefits
Our team takes care for you and absolutely do everything for you. Just drive up, drop off your car, hand over your keys, and jump on our shuttle to the terminal. We’ll move your car to the right charging spot, plug it in properly, keep an eye on the charging, and make sure it’s all ready for when you return. You get the full valet treatment plus reliable EV charging all rolled into one.
Before You Book: Tips for EV Travellers
Ready to book your trip?
Before you head out, here are some final tips from us to make driving your electric car to the airport stress-free.
- Book your EV charging at the same time as your parking so you won’t have to scramble for a free charger when you arrive.
- Some airports expect you to bring your own charging gear, so it helps to check what type of charger your car uses and pack the right cables.
- For longer trips, we recommend keeping your battery around 50% instead of fully charged for your car while it’s parked.
- Features like Sentry Mode can drain your battery quickly, so switch them off before leaving your car parked for days.
But the easiest thing you can do is pick a service that sorts out all these details for you. With Park & Fly, you get proper EV charging, clear pricing, and you don’t have to worry about anything.
Book your electric vehicle parking with us today, and you can relax knowing your car will be completely ready when you get back.
