City goes green with electric fleet vehicles

Eight electric hatchbacks made a quiet arrival to the City of Gosnells Civic Centre this week as part of a move by the City to reduce its carbon footprint.

Mayor Terresa Lynes said the new electric vehicles are part of the City’s bid to reduce carbon emissions by transitioning from fossil fuel-powered light vehicles to electric fleet vehicles.

“Last year, we began to switch over our light fleet to hybrid vehicles, and this year we’re going a step further by transitioning to eight new electric fleet vehicles,” Mayor Lynes said.

“Not only will this significantly reduce the City’s fossil fuel use, but it will also make our fleet more affordable to run while reducing our impact on the environment, to support a cleaner, greener future.”

Charging infrastructure to support eight new electric vehicles and to facilitate public charging at two locations is being funded by a grant from the Commonwealth Government’s Australian 
Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) as part of ARENA’s Driving the Nation program and the State’s Energy Policy WA.

The Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA) applied for this grant on behalf of a number of local governments in WA.

For Gosnells, the grant funding is covering the costs of the purchase and installation of six DC (fast charge) charging stations and one AC charging unit.

Two public pay-for-use DC charging stations are being established at Mills Park and the Civic Centre, while the remaining four DC charging stations and the one AC unit are located at the Civic Centre for the City’s new electric fleet.

“This project shows what is possible when Federal and Local Governments work together,” Federal Member for Burt Matt Keogh said.

“The number of electric vehicles in our south-eastern suburbs is skyrocketing, and these new charging stations will make EVs even more accessible locally.

“This funding has helped the City of Gosnells transition their fleet to Battery Electric Vehicles, which will not only save money for ratepayers, it’s also driving towards cleaner air for our community.”

The electricity being used to power the charging stations at both Mills Park and the Civic Centre is coming from a renewable energy source thanks to the City’s involvement in WALGA’s Sustainable Energy Project.