Electric vehicle fleet grows with Federal Government funding program

State and Federal funding will allow the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River to increase its electric vehicle fleet as well as install more charging stations.

A Shire spokesperson said seven existing fleet vehicles would now be replaced with electric cars.

Charging stations including five double 22kW AC chargers and one double 75kW DC charger would be installed in shire-controlled carparks and the depot at no cost to ratepayers.

Shire president Julia Meldrum was enthusiastic about the news which came after lobbying for funding, and comes after a previous commitment to transition more of the local government’s fleet to electric vehicles.

“It is a great opportunity to demonstrate the advantages of electric vehicles to our community and build confidence in the technology,” she said.

“Supporting a transition towards low and zero-emission vehicles is important so that we can all start sharing in the benefits of cleaner cars that are cheaper to run.

“The funding for these charging stations really accelerates our transition to electric vehicles which is a key action in our climate action plan”

Additionally, the power for the new stations would be fuelled by 100 per cent renewable energy from onsite generators, backed by a green energy arrangement for anything drawn from the grid.

The stations would initially be for the local government fleet only, but that could open up once use patterns became known, the shire said.

The money came from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency Future Fuels Program that included 22 local governments get a share of about $3.5 million, with the effort led by the WA Local Government Association.