Tamworth Regional Council zeroes in on electric vehicles in new strategy

Work is being done behind the scenes at Tamworth Regional Council to prepare the community for the transition to electric vehicles, which according to Woodleys Motors owner Mark Woodley, is revving up each year.

Mr Woodley said there's been a "definite increase" in people opting to go electric, with hybrid models the most popular investment among buyers.

"You've got the person that comes in because they want the latest and greatest, the person who's environmentally conscious, and those who already have the infrastructure in their house," he said.

Until the battery longevity improves, Mr Woodley said most people in Tamworth were picking up an electric vehicle as a "second car".

READ ALSO:

But while sales are increasing, Mr Woodley said the biggest thing holding people back was the lack of fast and accessible charging stations, especially in regional locations.

"If, and when, service stations adopt charging points that will obviously change things dramatically," he said.

A report, which is set to go before Tamworth Regional councillors on Tuesday night, reveals council staff have started investigating ways to prepare the city for the increase in electric vehicles.

According to the report, work is being carried out to look into grant opportunities and partnerships to establish public charging infrastructure.

Council has also been working with Essential Energy to investigate "optimal locations" for charging points.

"This information can then be made available to other organisations and businesses that may be interested in establishing EV charging across their council area," the report says.

The report also recommends council should create a standalone 'Electric Vehicle Strategy' in a bid to swap council owned cars to electric, and determine its role, "if any", in educating and supporting the community.

"This document will detail how to connect Tamworth LGA to the wider EV network and how to reduce carbon emissions from TRC and private vehicles," the report says.

As part of the strategy, council will investigate the viability of switching all new plant and commercial vehicles to electric, or if not possible, to hybrid.

Councillors will vote on the proposed strategy on Tuesday.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: