“It is a very expensive proposition,” chairman Fred Tuckwell said, citing the owners of a 60-unit residential block who were quoted up to $400,000 to install chargers.

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Tuckwell said the cost of retrofitting buildings with chargers was often an outlay only a limited number of apartment owners could afford, while any move to have them installed frequently faced opposition from a section of owners.

He also called for governments to consider providing subsidies to unit owners to help reduce the costs associated with installing chargers in apartment blocks.

A spokeswoman for state Treasurer and Energy Minister Matt Kean said the Coalition would fast-track the rollout of both public and private electric vehicle charging plans if re-elected, including by reforming strata laws to make it easier for people living in apartments to charge their EVs.

She also cited a $10 million government grants program to co-fund the installation of charging infrastructure in more than 100 apartment buildings.

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The NSW government offers $3000 rebates for electric vehicles under $68,750, as well as an exemption from stamp duty for those less than $78,000.

Urban Taskforce, a lobby group for developers, said retrofitting existing apartment buildings was problematic because they had not been designed for a significant new demand on power supply from electric vehicle charging.

“It potentially requires upgrades to substations and power supply from the grid,” chief executive Tom Forrest said. “This will be a matter for owners corporations and strata managers to consider on a case-by-case basis. There is also an opportunity cost with putting in an extra bulky substation.”

Forrest said the key to rolling out charging units in new apartment buildings would be to ensure that it was both practical and financially feasible to deliver the required electricity supply. “It is easier in greenfield locations where you have large developments, and you have available power,” he said.

The peak body for councils, Local Government NSW, said there were complexities involved in the rollout of electric vehicle charging, and it would welcome the opportunity to work with the next state government on the matter.

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