Our 2021 – 2022 Electric Vehicle project has recently wrapped up, and we’re pleased to report that it was a huge success.
The project was delivered in two parts. The first part, in the second half of 2021, was a bulk buy of Electric Vehicles (EVs) for the Geelong region; the second part, throughout 2022, was an awareness and information program.
The Bulk Buy
In 2021, Geelong Sustainability partnered with the Good Car Co to facilitate a bulk buy of second hand Nissan Leaf EVs, which were the most popular model worldwide. The reason behind purchasing the cars second hand was to make them more affordable for those who might be interested in an EV but not be able to afford a brand new model.
We hosted a variety of events to promote the program, including a hybrid in person/online launch event, a Show’n’Shine with the opportunity to test drive two cars provided by Good Car Co, and a Q & A webinar about EVs and the program.
We were very pleased with the end results of the bulk buy. We engaged with 425 community members about EVs, with 120 of those choosing to take a test drive. At the end of the program, 14 orders for EVs were placed – effectively increasing Geelong’s EV ownership by 50%!
The Awareness and Information Program
Throughout 2022, we delivered the second half of the project, assisted by a small grant from the City of Greater Geelong.
For this part of the project, Geelong Sustainability leased a MG EV for five months. We were so pleased to drive this little beauty around town! Not only was this helpful for drumming up conversations around EVs, but it also provided an opportunity for us to get our name out there!
We also ran a number of information sessions for the public entitled “ABC of EVs”. These information sessions provided an opportunity to bust myths about EVs, particularly around range anxiety. We mostly held these at local libraries, and they were very well attended. You can check out the presentation from one of the sessions here.
Our fantastic MG also got to be in the spotlight during the 2022 Circular Living Show at the Geelong Showgrounds, where we had heaps of people asking us questions and signing up for test drives. During the weeks following the Show, we displayed the EV at the South Geelong Farmers Market and took 44 community members for a test drive.
This great project couldn’t have been delivered without the tireless effort of the Project Coordinator, Noreen Nicholson. Thanks also go to our well-informed test drivers Scott Barnes, Roman Goeppert and John Pearce.