Electric vehicles are the way of the future – local EV owner and prominent environmental advocate Jon Dee. (Photo: Gabiann Marin)
Story by Gabiann Marin
Electric vehicles continue to grow in popularity across Australia, but many people are still uncertain about their benefits, feasibility, and availability. To try and help local communities in the Lower Mountains have a better understanding of what EV’s can offer, local sustainability advocates, Parents for Climate are hosting an EV Showcase in Blaxland to help bust the EV myths and provide helpful, up-to-date and accessible information.
Key Points:
- Interest in electric vehicles (EVs) is growing in the Blue Mountains.
- There is a lot of misinformation about EVs, and people have concerns about battery life, cost, environmental impact, and ethical sourcing of materials.
- An upcoming EV Showcase at Blaxland Community Centre, 33 Hope Street Blaxland between 10 am and 12.30 pm on Saturday July 27th 2024 aims to address these concerns by providing a platform for people to learn about EVs from experts and owners in a non-commercial setting.
A little over a year ago, Blaxland was the second village in the Mountains to have public electric vehicle charging stations installed, demonstrating the rising demand for electric vehicle infrastructure across the region. In May 2023, six super charging stations were erected in Hope Street, adding to the four public charging stations already established in Lawson, and allowing more people to see the electric vehicle as a real transport option.
“EV numbers are expected to increase significantly in the next few years across Australia and are likely to become a mainstream transport choice,” Mayor Mark Greenhill stated during the opening of the Blaxland superchargers. “We need to be prepared for this technology so we can take part in this major technological transport shift.”
Blaxland was the second village to install public EV charging stations in May 2023, evidencing the Lower Mountains’ interest in this new technology. (Photo BMCC)
The demand for electric vehicles globally doubled over the 2021-2022 financial year and is expected to continue its growth in 2024. This year alone China is making over 3.5 million electric vehicles. Yet take up of these revolutionary new cars has been somewhat slower in Australia, with many people still not sure if an electric vehicle will really meet all their needs.
Concerns about length of battery charge, lack of knowledge about how to set up an EV charging station at home or where to find public electric charging stations, as well as worries about the ethical sourcing of parts and minerals for the manufacture of these vehicles, are just some of the reasons people give for hesitating when considering the purchase of an electric vehicle, despite the enthusiasm of current EV owners.
“Once I got my electric car I thought, wow why didn’t I do this years ago! It is so fantastic, there is no reason to ever consider buying a petrol or diesel powered car again,” Jenna Condie, a recent EV owner, enthuses as she talks about her own experiences moving to a fully electric vehicle.
Jenna Condie (second from left) with the other volunteers from Parents For Climate, who are hosting the Blaxland EV Showcase. (Photo courtesy Parents for Climate)
But, as much as she is fully on board with her choice, she acknowledges that for many the choice is not so straight forward.
“It can be so hard to get good information about electric vehicles,” Jenna says. “When I bought my car, I had to travel down to Darlinghurst. That was the closest place to see one. At a dealership.”
Jenna, who is also one of the leaders of the local climate action organisation Parents for Climate, realised that what was missing in the EV discussion more generally was low key and accessible opportunities for curious locals to engage with the vehicles and talk to EV owners, in situations where it wasn’t all about selling or promoting the car or particular brands.
Talking to other EV owners, Jenna could see how keen they were to share their experiences and, so, an idea was formed.
“We (Parents for Climate) thought why don’t we bring together people who already have an electric vehicle in the local area and let everyone see what they are like.”
Jenna and other members of Parents for Climate put this idea into action, hosting their first EV showcase in Lawson in the Mid Mountains in April this year.
The previous EV event, held in April in Lawson, was a huge success, offering curious locals an opportunity to see electric cars and hybrids in a no pressure non-sales environment. (Photo courtesy of Parents for Climate)
The event saw local EV owners and enthusiasts come together and answer questions about EV’s and how they could be a great alternative to petrol powered cars.
“It was great. Everyone who has an electric vehicle is super keen to explain how it works and what the benefits are. It was this great low pressure environment where you could just check out what an EV is, without having to have already decided you wanted to purchase one.”
The Lawson EV Showcase was a huge success, with attendees being fully engaged and asking all manner of questions. Their curiosity and interest going beyond just what the EV’s were, but into how they were made, what their real impacts on the environment were and even questions about supply chains and materials used in their construction.
‘We realised that some of the questions were bigger than those which could be answered by someone who just owned an EV,” Jenna reveals.
A Tesla at the Lawson EV event (Photo courtesy of Parents for Climate)
Luckily local environmental advocate and co-founder of Planet Ark, Jon Dee, himself an EV owner, was on hand at the Lawson event to answer a lot of the questions, and his expertise, thanks to his experience travelling across the world, visiting EV manufacturers and investigating supply chains, was hugely valuable to everyone who attended.
“A lot of the misinformation is coming from car manufacturers and oil companies who are invested in a fossil fuel and oil economy, so you have to really be careful about what you believe,” he explains, recalling some of the more curly questions from the Lawson event as he drives along the streets of Katoomba, demonstrating the power and quiet efficiency of his own EV, which he purchased after his extensive research into the manufacture and benefits of these cars.
He parks his whisper quiet vehicle next to a local nature reserve, where its sleek exterior reflects the overarching gums and picturesque blue sky.
“Nothing is going to be perfect, but even with the issues, an electric car is still going to be a better option than an oil based one,” he says, further explaining the key benefits of his BYD electric vehicle, which in itself busts a lot of the myths about EVs being smaller, less powerful and unreliable.
Jon Dee, pictured in his fully electric car, will be on the EV showcase panel, ready to answer questions about owning and running an electric vehicle within the Blue Mountains as well as sustainability and environmental aspects of EV ownership. (Photo G.Marin)
Jon’s EV is an impressive looking vehicle, with a space age interior and all the mod cons of a high-end European car: at a fraction of the price. Jon explains that this level of finish and quality is possible because it is manufactured in China by the same factory that supplies the batteries for the better known, and more expensive Tesla vehicles. “I drove all the way to Canberra recently and had 45% battery left once I arrived, which is excellent. This car has a non-cobalt battery as well,” Jon reveals, pleased to show that the latest EV models are taking ethical concerns seriously.
After experiencing the whisper quiet and extremely sporty performance of his BYD EV, I understood why Jon was such a passionate advocate for the electric vehicle, but Jenna wants to make it clear that the EV showcase events are not about simply promoting the cars.
“We aren’t car dealers, and we aren’t selling you anything,” Jenna explains. “That’s the beauty of an event like this. It is all about information and answering questions the community has, honestly and openly, while allowing people to see EVs for themselves.”
To further evidence this, the event has no involvement from any EV manufacturing brand or dealership to ensure that the information is purely that which reflects the real experience of owning and running an EV in the Blue Mountains.
For Jenna, Jon and the other organisers, the EV Showcase is all about education and information as well as facilitating community conversations around the bigger issues of transport, energy use and sustainability; and ways that transport in general can become more climate friendly and accessible for all sectors of the community.
“There is a lot of misinformation. A lot of conspiracy theories, and it’s important we address all of that as well,” Jenna adds.
Jon Dee agrees that the lack of good quality information is one of the biggest barriers to the uptake of electric vehicles in Australia and not everyone has the ability to do the kind of research Jon has done. For this reason he and Jenna both believe the EV showcase is a great opportunity to talk to a variety of people who not only own EVs, but have thoroughly investigated EV technology and infrastructure.
“This isn’t just about wanting to push electric vehicles as the solution to everything we need to change,” Jenna insists. “We are really aware of the concerns around the global supply chain, and we know that there are people who are concerned about the materials that go into the batteries and the vehicles and if any of these cars have been made with forced labour. Which is why we need to have an open conversation and talk about the broader issues as well, like transport and mobility, social equity and what true sustainability looks like, even with EVs.”
To ensure that the information and educational elements are professional, up to date and accurate, the upcoming Blaxland EV showcase will be held as part of a bigger community forum event where attendees will have the opportunity to ask larger questions to qualified experts around electric vehicles and sustainable transport more generally.
Event panellists include: (L to R) Natalie Thompson, Jon Dee, Rob Chan, Dr Sarah Redshaw, and moderator Nic Seton (Photos: various Creative Commons)
Jon Dee will again be one of the panellists, this time joined by other experts from a range of disciplines and experiences, who will make it possible for attendees to confidently ask a wide variety of questions.
On hand to answer any specific questions about the manufacture and importation of EVs, as well as concerns around ethical and environmental impacts of the EV supply chain will be Natalie Thompson, Senior Policy Manager for Electric Vehicles Council – Australia’s peak body for Electric vehicles. She’ll talk candidly not just about the benefits, but also the barriers to EV ownership in Australia and what needs to be addressed to make the uptake of this technology more accessible and feasible for everyday commuters.
Rob Chan, the Head of Strategy and Analytics for the world’s largest car sharing platform Turo, will use his experience and knowledge to answer questions and facilitate discussions around how we can rethink transport more generally and ensure there is more accessibility and social justice in the ways in which we own and operate cars across the world.
Dr Sarah Redshaw, a senior research fellow at Charles Sturt University and a local Councillor who has studied the importance of transport on sustainability and equity, will add a macro view of the bigger issues around car dominance and the social and cultural implications of sustainable transport policy more generally.
The panel will be moderated by Nic Seton, The CEO of Parents for Climate, who will bring a parents and family perspective to the discussion.
“What this event is going to do is create a space where people can come and look at some cool cars, talk to the owners and also get evidence-based information so they can go away and feel more confident in their understanding of what EVs can and can’t offer, helping them decide if EVs are the right choice for them,” Jenna says, suggesting that anyone who is even slightly curious about EVs will get a lot out of this event.
The Blaxland EV showcase offers a rare and valuable chance to get up close and inspect an EV, talk to owners and take part in a myth busting, interactive forum and community information event. All are welcome and the event is designed to be fully accessible and child friendly.
The EV showcase will be held at Blaxland Community Centre, 33 Hope Street Blaxland between 10 am and 12.30 pm on Saturday July 27th 2024.
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This story has been produced as part of a Bioregional Collaboration for Planetary Health and is supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF). The DRRF is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
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