Despite the forecast of rain and an occasional brief shower, hundreds of people visited the Earth Day Electric Vehicle Expo in Brisbane on the weekend for Earth Day Down Under. Ably organized by Solar Citizens and supported by the Queensland branches of Australian Electric Vehicles and Tesla Owners Club of Australia, the day was a great success.
Dozens of enthusiastic EV owners patiently answered questions from the curious. Tess was surrounded for the better part of three hours. My favourite reaction was from the line “This car is 2 and half years old. In EV terms, it is an antique.” We were so busy we even had to call in a friend to help answer questions. We could finally grab a comfort break. Thanks, Linda.
Linda introduces Tess to the curious.
As well as the many Teslas, there were Hyundai Ioniq 5s, a mini, an original electric commodore (GM only made 12 of these), Mitsubishi MiEVs, and the only Honda E in Australia — privately imported and always of interest.
Stall holders ranged from companies that convert your beloved daily driver to electric, to those that install bike racks and tow bars. There were suppliers of EV charging systems, like Noodoe, and installers, like Regenev.
Noodoe Sam and Regen Arran
Parked just outside was an electric bus — very popular when the showers hit. I was surprised that it was a brand I had not yet heard of, and it bodes well for the expansion of electric buses in Australia. Competition is a good thing. On the other side of the entrance was a flock of electric bikes. Many of the city dwellers had travelled to the event on them. How appropriate!
Another great electric bus.
The most common questions we answered — standing at the frunk with the parents, while the kids played with the infotainment system in the car — were about charging. I held up the “tails” that came with our car and explained how much charge we got per hour. Then I talked about the Tesla destination charger we have in the garage. Then there were questions about using the various high-speed chargers on the highway. I wonder how much they will remember — it’s a lot of information and a bit complicated.
The high price of EVs was still a sticking point, though I did explain the cost savings in petrol (which will soon be over $2 a litre). I told these people to wait 6 months — by the end of the year we should have some BYDs and Great Wall ORAs on sale at much lower prices than a Tesla.
EVs are like laptops — getting better and getting cheaper constantly.
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