Electric vehicle (EV) ownership in Dubbo is rising, with registrations up 250 per cent in two years.
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According to Australian Government data, EV registrations in the Dubbo council area have risen from around 16 vehicles in 2021 to 57 registered vehicles at the end of July 2023.
Natalie Thompson, senior policy manager at the Electric Vehicle Council, said it was "great to see" EV ownership was on the up.
The EV council recently published its annual State of EVs report, which shows interest in electric vehicles has "significantly expanded" across the country.
The report stated 8.4 per cent of all new cars sold in Australia in 2023 to July's end were EVs, representing a 120 per cent increase compared to all of 2022.
However, the vast majority of EV sales were made up of only three models - Tesla Model Y, Tesla Model 3, BYD Atto 3 - representing over 68 per cent of the EV market.
John Curley, a Dubbo local who works as an accountant in town, owns a Tesla and said he bought it for the smart technology as well as for environmental concerns.
"I like tech ... It was cool to have a car that you just use the phone as a key," Mr Curley told the Daily Liberal.
"You don't have to take the phone out, you have it in your pocket, you walk away and it locks. It does these smart things."
He added: "I also bought it for the green side as well."
To recharge the car from empty to full at home, it costs Mr Curley around $4.
He estimates he would have saved around $4300 per year in fuel, plus around $800 per year in service fees.
"There's nothing to service - they just need to check the tyres and the breaks, and fill up the washing fluid. So in 2.5 years there's been no services at all - none required," he said.
According to the EV council, there are now 91 electric car, van and ute models available in Australia, but most of these are only being supplied in small volumes.
This is reportedly a consequence of Australia not having a New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (FES) to ensure car manufacturers increase the supply of EVs to our country.
The Electric Vehicle Council prepared a detailed submission to the Australian Government's consultation on the design of a standard specifically for Australia.
The Australian Government will release the new draft Fuel Efficiency Standard by the end of 2023.
While the industry is still in its infancy in Australia, electric car chargers are still few in numbers - particularly in regional areas like Dubbo.
According to Plugshare there are two options for high power charging in Dubbo - Tesla superchargers and an NRMA fast charger at the Western Plains Cultural Centre. Ms Thompson of the EV council said the NRMA station is currently waiting on repairs (as of August 2023), but the Tesla chargers are available to Teslas and non-Teslas with Combined Charging System (CCS) compatibility, which is the vast majority of EVs being sold today.
There are also a number of slower destination chargers at motels around the town including the Akuna Motor Inn and Apartments, and the Orana Motel. Ms Thompson said this was "great for anyone stopping for a few hours" or overnight.
Dubbo Electric Vehicle Interest, Owners, Users and Supporters (DEVIOUS) group meets monthly to discuss their EVs or their interest in purchasing an EV.
Mr Curley is a member, as is Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson who owns EVs. Mr Curley said the group members chat about apps they might have tried out and want to recommend.
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"The users group is really an interest thing, people will talk about what's worked and what hasn't, we'll have a yarn together, show each other something cool," he said.
Mr Curley said infrastructure for EV owners has a way to go, and called the lack of charging stations across Australia one of his "biggest bug bears".
"You have to connect with different connectors when you travel out west. We went to Western Queensland and we had to plug in at 10-amp powerpoints and showgrounds," he said.
He said he chose Tesla because he views it as the best charging EV on the market, however not all public chargers charge at high speed like Tesla does.
"NRMA has been very good at putting them [chargers] in, but they're using yesterday's technology. They take 45 minutes to charge versus 15 minutes at Tesla [chargers]. Why are they building yesterday's technology?" he said.
"It would be nice if people built for the future, instead of rolling out older technology because they can."
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