Electric vehicle fleet to expand in City

THE City of Greater Geelong plans to add to its growing fleet of electric vehicles after securing a grant to install new charging stations at two of its depots in Belmont and Corio.

Two dual port 22.5kW EV chargers, which have the capacity to charge up to four vehicles simultaneously, will be installed at the two depots, in the hope of growing the council’s electrical car market.

The City received a $48,000 grant from the Victorian Government that will help to deliver the infrastructure via the EV Charging for Council Fleets program, which plans to install about 120 private EV charging stations at 57 council sites across Victoria by May 2023.

Councillor Stephanie Asher, Chair of the Sustainability Performance portfolio, thanked the Victorian Government for its support in helping the City embrace sustainable transport and cleaner fuels.

“Council is investing in more electric vehicle charging technology, to help meet the demands of our growing carbon-neutral fleet,” Cr Asher said.

“We want to transition our light fleet to net zero within five years, and encourage the community to increase its use of EVs.”

Inside the Greater Geelong region, there are already five dual port charging stations, which are located in Belmont, Corio and Drysdale depots.

There are plans for a further three EVs to be delivered in the short term while the City is also preparing to order up to 10 more EVs in 2022-23.

Cr Asher said the goal of achieving a net-zero light fleet by 2027 was a key plank in Council’s wider sustainability aims.

“Driving down our carbon footprint has a range of environmental and economic benefits.

“It also leads our community towards a more sustainable future, where we are a zero-emissions, climate ready region that is well placed to deal with future challenges.”

The announcement comes in line with the City’s recent announcement that provisional figures indicate that operational carbon emissions dropped by an estimated 30 per cent in 2021-22, while emissions have been slashed by more than 50 per cent since June 2017, on the back of a range of clever and creative sustainability initiatives.