Fuel worries boosting local EV sales

HAVE you been seeing more electric vehicles on the road?

An increasing number of local residents have been making the shift to buying an EV amid concerns about fuel security and a shift in affordability, particularly for low-kilometre second-hand EVs

Among them is Ballarat Renewable Energy and Zero Emissions (BREAZE) member Sally Missing who has bought a pre-loved Polestar.

“We finally decided to bite the bullet and buy an EV in the last few weeks,” Missing said.

“Coincidentally, this was the start of a rush on EVs linked to the US-Israel war on Iran and concerns about fuel shortages.

“We’d been visiting EV car showrooms for a while and it was really apparent they were suddenly way busier.

“The car we had our sights on was an MG EV4 with a long-range battery and we were galvanised into action by an advertised ‘run out’ sale. Unfortunately, the car dealer had run out of the ‘run outs’, so we turned our minds to other cars.

“My husband spotted a 2022 Polestar that had only 33,000 on the clock. The price was just over half the original cost which was a significant drop from new, with only a small decrease in battery range.”

Group fleet manager with Peter Stevens Motorworld, Trev Stuble said he has observed a big uptick in EV sales in recent weeks and has little doubt fuel insecurity has been a factor.

“It’s amazing what’s happening out there,” Stuble said.

“We’ve gone from 30 to 40 EV sales a month to 135 EVs in the last month. People are lining up, doing a test drive and just buying on the spot.”

Bigger batteries that translate to increased range, an increase in local car dealerships stocking EVs and an expanding network of public charge stations have also been factors driving the increase in local EV sales.

Clunes-based Nissan Leaf owner Pat Hockey said trickle charging overnight at home with a low, steady current is usually all that’s necessary for him to get about.

“The growing second-hand market, and also salary packaging for EVs with a tax incentive are also driving the growth in the number of people driving EVs,” Missing said.

“The RACV says you can now buy a new EV for as little as $25,000 which is a huge shift in affordability.”

Missing said anyone keen to gain in-person insights into making the switch to an EV can visit breaze.org.au/ceep