As wars overseas push fuel costs higher at home, diesel prices in particular have been skyrocketing – up by more than a third since February to over 280c a litre at the time of writing.

An electric or plug-in hybrid ute can now do the job for many tradies and weekend warriors at a fraction of the cost – provided you get the charging situation right. Here are the main challenges, some practical solutions, and honest advice on who should make the switch now.

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Most EV owners probably don’t need an app guide for the daily commute. You know where you’re going, where you normally charge, and your car can probably get you there without much fuss.

A proper road trip changes things. Now there are five jobs to do: plan the route, check the chargers, navigate the route, start and pay for charging, and switch to ‘Plan B’ if something goes wrong.

Do you need a different app for each job, or can one app handle most of an Australian EV road trip?

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Even before Everything Electric Sydney got underway, electric vehicles were already in the news. In August, battery-electric vehicles surpassed petrol and diesel cars for the first time in Australia, with more than 27,000 sold in a single month. That’s nearly a quarter of all new cars sold.

Three different exhibitors mentioned that figure during the exhibition, which proves just how significant this milestone is for the industry.

The program reached a similar level of excitement. The organisers stated that it was the largest Everything Electric event yet in Australia, with more new car launches than any other Everything Electric event worldwide. Here are the vehicles that drew our attention.

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The giant Everything Electric show returns to Sydney Showground this weekend, Friday 18 to Sunday 20 September, six months later than planned. [Read more…]

Electric cars have notched up their biggest Australian milestone yet. In August, they outsold petrol cars for the first time, taking almost a quarter of all new vehicle sales. For households, that also means more transport energy is shifting from the petrol bowser to the electricity meter.
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The fuel excise cut introduced to soften the impact of rising petrol prices finished at midnight on 2 August. From this point, petrol and diesel are taxed at the full rate again, so prices at the pump are climbing higher once again. It comes as new data out this week shows that electric and hybrid vehicles made up nearly half of all cars Australians bought last quarter.

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Two years ago, SolarQuotes explored one of the trickier challenges facing would-be EV owners: how do you charge an electric car if you don’t have a driveway?

The solutions ranged from cable covers and drainpipes to charge gullies and elevated cable systems. There was no shortage of ideas, and the comments section quickly filled with alternative suggestions, objections and debate.

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Australia’s vehicle-to-grid rollout has been significantly expanded, with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) committing an additional $13.6 million to scale Amber Electric’s V2G trial from 50 households to 1,000 EV-enabled homes. [Read more…]

I can’t believe it’s been almost 3½ years that I’ve been living with a cute little lady who’s not my darling wife.

So how has it been, owning a close to classic EV? Brilliant really.

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As Australian drivers go electric en masse amidst global uncertainty around fuel prices, classic car lovers might feel left behind. A Melbourne-based workshop is doing the work to make sure they can join the party, converting the automotive stars of yesteryear into EVs.

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