Hobsons Bay Council coasts to carbon neutral 2020 with new EV fleet

The inner Melbourne local government area of Hobson’s Bay has switched its council car fleet to electric vehicles, and installed a public 50kW fast charger, as part of a suite of measures to reach net zero emissions.

The Council, which has also signed up to the Local Government renewable PPA and installed solar on its buildings, said the switch to EVs would deliver its goal of carbon neutral operations by next year – the targeted date.

The fleet, which Council started using in August, includes three Nissan Leafs, one Renault Zoe and one Renault Kangoo Z.E. van.

The community 50kW DC fast-charging station – a Veefil by Australian company Tritium – has been installed at the Altona Civic Centre, and will be free to use for a trial period. It can recharge compatible EVs in as little as 30-40 minutes.

Hobson’s Bay Mayor Jonathan Marsden said that the council EVs were expected to save ratepayers money, as well as cut the city’s emissions.

“The running cost is approximately $4.50 in electricity per 100km compared to around $16.65 of fuel to travel the same distance in an average petrol vehicle,” Cr Marsden said.

“Electric cars are the way of the future and we are committed to not only putting our money where our mouth is and switching our own vehicles to electric, but also to helping our community to go electric.

“This is why we are proud to offer the community the 50kW DC fast-charging station.”

Marsden noted that the charging station was the only one of its kind between the Great Ocean Road Town of Torquay and the Melbourne CBD, thus plugging a major gap in the city’s EV support infrastructure.

“It will also help people who live in apartments or do not have off-street parking to embrace electric vehicle technology by having another option to charge, bringing us one step closer to achieving zero net emissions for the community by 2030,” he said.