Are the Queensland Regions Ready for EVs? – CleanTechnica

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During the month of June, Majella and I have attended regional shows in Queensland, driving thousands of km and talking to hundreds of people about electric cars. These are down to earth country folk and we have had great conversations. It makes me feel that the regions are ready, they just need supply of the right vehicles.

Last Sunday in Gympie (a 2-hour drive north of our home in Brisbane), we exhibited our 5-year-old Tesla Model 3 and answered the usual questions around cost, charging time, and range. One advantage in driving an “antique” Tesla is that we can discuss everything that went wrong (all fixed under warranty or by OTA updates). It’s also good that none of these issues were due to the battery or drivetrain — inspiring confidence in the technology. We have driven about 140,000 km. Thanks to Murray Keys and his team for organising the Sustainable Futures Festival.

A highlight was a visit from Holly Hawker of Wildlife HQ, who brought with her an affectionate 16-year-old woma python. This python is native to Western Australia. Now, that’s a photo op I couldn’t resist!

Tesla and BYD were represented by their loyal fans, and local dealers displayed Kias, Subarus, Hyundais, and MGs. I hope that more dealers get involved so the buying pubic can be aware that these vehicles are available locally. Some buyers are still averse to ordering online. Kia had the amazing EV6 GT, with the claim that it was the world’s best performance car. Even Alan from Hyundai admitted that the Kia would give the Ioniq 5 N line a run for its money on the track. Kia also brought the EV9, which is selling well in Australia and globally.

Kia informed me that they are getting a lot of interest in the EV6, especially from QFleet. Hyundai told me the amusing tale of two EV owners of an earlier model Kona and Ioniq who had let their charge go to zero and then had the cars trucked to the dealership on a flatbed to charge up. We are all learning. I have a daughter in law who has to be rescued regularly with a can of petrol.

The MG salespeople were able to give me hard data on the sales in the Gympie region. In the past 12 months, MG has sold 24 plugin vehicles (both MG4 and MG ZS EV). This combined total means that 15% of MG’s sales in the Gympie area have been electric. That’s higher than the national average, stubbornly stuck at around 10%.

Those who lived on or frequented rural properties expressed their concerns about the Tesla Model 3 being too low for the dirt and gravel driveways. Sadly, there were no Model Ys on display. But there was ample choice of other electric vehicles with good ground clearance, including Trevor Richards’ converted Toyota fourby from Drive By Nature. A few of the local farmers are buying EVs for the town run, as they have solar on the roof of the barn and filling up with electrons is a lot cheaper than trucking in the diesel. Many rural property owners are looking for electric farming equipment for the same reason.

Two doctors based at the local hospital discussed at great length how they could go electric and fit the charging times in with their unpredictable work schedule. “I might get called out at 2:00 am for an emergency,” one doctor said. The answer to their needs might rely on multiple charging options. I explained how we can charge from the home battery for zero cost, or from the level 2 wall charger in our garage or just a power point at minimal cost.

I did suggest that they ask the hospital to put some chargers in to compensate for the inconvenience of getting dragged out of bed in the middle of the night. They appeared to have a keen interest in EVs, so I expect that the issues will be dealt with. At that time, I did not yet know about what was happening at the Roma Hospital.

The Queensland government had a presence with the Hyundai hydrogen car and a Subaru Solterra. The government representative presented at the speaker’s corner highlighting some of the issues facing EV takeup in the regions — mainly around charging infrastructure and the lack of honest information. One heckler shouted that the government should do more in the battle against misinformation about EVs. I thought this was a little unfair considering a government representative was doing exactly that many miles from home on a Sunday morning!

Government electric cars are leased, and at the end of the lease are sold into the second-hand market. Since 2021, 41 EVs have been sold onto the public. There will be many more in the next few years as the government converts its 11,000-strong fleet to EV.

A recent report on the Australian Broad Cast (ABC) website cites several examples of rural folk going electric, with 20% of EV sales being made in the regions. One example struck a chord with me. David Mayne, a central Queensland farmer, lives 20 km from Springsure on a dirt road. Springsure itself is 760 km from Brisbane. David says he has had no issues with his EV handling the dirt road and the cattle grids on the way to town.

“If we keep it (the Tesla Model Y) three years … we’ll have paid for the cost (of the car) in fuel savings alone.” In the past 18 months he has driven the EV 70,000 km. “If I’d done that same 70,000 kilometres in our old LandCruiser that would have been about an extra $35,000 just in diesel,” Mr Mayne said. David lives off grid and charges his car through solar power.

“If I take into [account] the cost of the solar system and what I expect it to produce over its lifetime, it’s about 70 cents to charge this car completely empty to full on the solar system we’ve got here.” Travelling to Brisbane, David has to take a longer route than in his diesel ute because there is as yet no high-speed charger at Injune. Although, one is in the planning as part of the Queensland Electric Super Highway.

Speaking of charging, it was time to go to the Superchargers and fill up for the trip home. Tesla has a 4-bay Supercharger station in Gympie. It is situated just off the highway and is open for non-Teslas and has become a high-use station. As we charged up at the end of the day, we witnessed car after car arrive in the parking lot and take their turn to fill up. Great news for EV takeup in the regions.