Two new full electric vehicles have been added to Warrnambool City Council's fleet for the first time as the switch is turned on for the new charging station at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village.
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The new public 50kw electric charging station is now up and running with two vehicles able to charge at the same time.
In the past, the council has been using hybrid electric cars in its fleet but had in recent months purchased two fully electric vehicles.
One will be used by the local laws officers and the other for meals on wheels with the council now installing an electric charging station at Archie Graham Centre.
Cr Richard Ziegeler said the new cars go hand-in-hand with the 2040 plan for the city to become carbon neutral.
"The council is showing it is well-up with that philosophy," he said.
He joked that because the cars runs so quietly, the local laws officers could sneak up on dogs.
The 50kw charging station at the car park at Flagstaff Hill can charge two vehicles simultaneously.
One charger is equipped with a CHAdeMO plug and the other with a CCS 2 plug, making it suitable for most electric vehicles, with motorists also having the option to use their own adapter if needed.
In the first half of 2023, more than eight per cent of new cars bought in Australia were electric, more than double the 2022 rate.
The city council was able to access $40,000 in grant funding via the Victorian Government's Destination Charging Across Victoria Program to help offset the construction costs.
Users will pay 40c/kw to charge their vehicles, which means it would cost an average car $26 to fully charge their vehicle.
Katrina Lovell
Katrina Lovell is a senior journalist at The Standard who covers council news and human interest stories.
Katrina Lovell is a senior journalist at The Standard who covers council news and human interest stories.
