The City of Sydney’s new electric vehicle strategy includes doubling the number of chargers in car parks, testing low-impact on-street charging, and a thorough research initiative to help retrofit existing buildings with chargers.
The proposed Electrification of Transport in the City Strategy and Action Plan, which was unanimously approved last night, details City objectives to electrify transportation fleets and decrease barriers to electric vehicle use in the community.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore stated that reducing reliance on private vehicles while encouraging vehicle electrification will assist in reducing transportation emissions and help the City meet its net-zero targets.
“If we are to stop dangerous runaway climate, we need to reach net zero emissions as soon as possible. Lowering transport emissions, which are currently around 20% of all our emissions, will be crucial to this task,” Lord Mayor Moore said.
Lord Mayor Moore claimed that reducing reliance on private vehicles is the most effective emission reduction method. Lord Mayor Moore added that the Council remains committed to building its extensive bike network and supporting ambitious public transportation projects.
“Not all trips can be completed on a bike or public transport so electrification of high-impact fleets such as delivery and service vehicles, as well as private vehicles, will help complete the journey to net zero transport,” Lord Mayor Moore stated.
The City will expand capacity in Goulburn Street and Kings Cross car parks to 18 chargers under the new proposal, with two more 22kWh chargers to be erected in the Cope Street car park in Redfern and Wilson Street car park in Newtown.
In addition, the City of Sydney is collaborating with Ausgrid to test a hidden on-street electric vehicle charger on an existing power pole in Glebe to investigate ways to support on-street charging access without burdening the public domain.
According to the modelling and technical study that underpins the strategy, transportation accounts for approximately 20% of emissions in the area, and the major barriers to utilising electric vehicles are affordability, availability, and charging access.
The local area now has over 100 publicly accessible charging points, and data indicates that most users will charge their vehicles in buildings, garages, and depots.
The City of Sydney will collaborate with suppliers to place more chargers where they are required, like off-street parking lots, service stations, and select street sites, while also protecting pathways and public spaces.
The City of Sydney will study the technological, governance, and administrative problems that the strata communities will face as they begin to handle rising demand to retrofit residential buildings with EV charging stations in the coming months.
The Lord Mayor said strata charging gives a tremendous chance to make a significant dent in the City’s charging demands in the city context, where over 75% of people live in apartments, but it’s tricky.
“We will be conducting a comprehensive research project in a range of different building styles and ages, to figure out how to overcome these challenges and outline best practice options for apartment buildings looking to retrofit,” the Lord Mayor stated.
According to the Council, the City will also lobby for and support state and federal policies that will hasten the adoption of electric vehicles in the private and commercial sectors. These policies include federal fuel efficiency standards, a faster rollout of zero-emission buses, pricing policies that favour e-bikes over cars, and subsidies that favour e-bikes over cars.
The City was among the first Australian organisations to begin transforming its fleet, purchasing its first electric vehicle in 2010. Presently, the City’s fleet includes 19 totally electric vehicles, one truck, and 73 hybrid vehicles. As a trial, the City purchased its first electric truck in 2021, a diesel truck converted to electric.
“We hope that by 2035 all vehicles in our area are electric. This is a sector that is evolving quickly, and we want to make sure that we remove any possible barrier to our residents getting an electric vehicle or better still, changing their commute for a bus or train, an e-bike or choosing to walk,” the Lord Mayor said.
The Lord Mayor added that the NSW Government has pledged to install 500 electric vehicle charging bays across the State over the next two years, with a few in the first round being constructed in Sydney.
