Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.

How to check battery health on imported Nissan Leaf e+

First Nissan Leaf e+ registered in Australia passes two-year battery health check with flying colours in a check with smartphone app Leafspy.

Solar carpark canopies such as at Westfield Marion could help manage electric car charging "hotspots". Source: Scentre Group

2 min

EVs could be charged directly by off-grid solar at long-term carparks

Charging electric vehicles in off-grid carparks is possible, as long as vehicles with a lower state of charge are prioritised.

2 min

EV lifecycle emissions just a fraction of petrol and diesel cars in major economies

BNEF research finds life cycle emissions of EVs are significantly lower than petrol and diesel cars in US, Germany, France, the UK, and even coal-dominated China.

Cathcart's BMW i3 and rooftop solar system. Courtesy Chris Cathcart

4 min

How much do EVs reduce emissions? It depends when you charge

How much can electric cars actually reduce emissions? It depends on when and where you charge.

3 min

Where do old electric vehicle batteries go to die?

Electric car batteries don’t die, but after seeing 8 to 10 years service in a car they can retire to a second life in energy storage systems.

3 min

Why are there no off-grid electric vehicle charging stations?

Why is off-grid EV charging is not being built? The answer is more to do with demand than the technology.

4 min

Are plug-in hybrid cars worse for the environment? It depends how you drive them

Plug-in hybrids have two energy sources, petrol and electric, and their emissions will vary widely depending on how much time is spent in full electric or petrol mode.