The Hume chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby hosted a talk on electric vehicles on November 5. The talk on electric vehicles drew some 50 locals to the Goulburn Soldiers Club.
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Guest speaker was Tom Hunt, himself a regional coordinator for Citizens' Climate Lobby Australia, as well as being the founder of Renew Illawarra.
Mr Hunt not only brought a wealth of expertise to the discussion owing to his mathematics, physics and IT background - including being a former Strategic Projects Manager (Transport) at the University of Wollongong, where he enabled major shifts towards sustainable transport - but also his many years of EV ownership, beginning with the Toyota Prius hybrid.
There were also numerous knowledgeable and experienced local audience members, some of whom currently own electric vehicles or hybrids themselves.
Mr Hunt told the audience just how hassle free charging an electric vehicle can be, despite the misconceptions, including bringing in "props" from his own electric vehicle.
He said it is as simple as plugging into a power point.
Organiser of the Hume chapter of the CCL, Ian Anderson said the pros and cons of electric vehicles were covered.
These include:
- they produce zero emissions
- are much more energy efficient in general than a vehicle with an energy-wasteful internal combustion engine (approximately 20 per cent energy efficiency for an internal combustion engine versus 60pc efficiency for an electric motor)
- are cheaper to run (which makes up for the initial higher outlay when choosing one over a regular vehicle),
- are much cheaper and easier to maintain (few fluids and moving parts to maintain and change, except, perhaps, window washer fluid.
- are more fun to drive (think increased responsiveness and performance).
"The cons of electric vehicles includes their shorter range (which is improving all the time with advancements in the technology, with the Tesla Model 3 Long Range, for example, having a range of nearly 600 km)," Mr Anderson said.
"They also have a longer "fuelling" time (which will also decrease as more rapid chargers and superchargers are rolled out across the country).
"In addition, one always has the option of charging an electric vehicle overnight at home, so some of the inconvenience of charging can be easily mitigated.
"Mr Hunt also said there is an opportunity for Australia to resuscitate its car manufacturing industry, among other electric vehicle related innovations that could boost existing industries or even start new ones.
"He said this comes down to political will to place Australia at the forefront of green industries and capitalise on the shift towards electric vehicles and other green technology."
The Citizens' Climate Lobby, Hume https://au.citizensclimatelobby.org/ will be taking a break from offering free community information evenings over the Christmas/New Year period. The next scheduled event is on pumped hydro with speaker Prof Andrew Blakers and will take place on February 6, 2020.
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David Cole
Journalist at the Goulburn Post
Journalist at the Goulburn Post
