November 02, 2019 |
Big crowds turned out on Saturday at Sydney’s Olympic Park for the Electric Vehicle Expo. Here they could see, sit and even have a drive in a range of electric vehicles.
Held by the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA), the annual expo, which ran over two days, gave drivers and families the chance to learn more about the growing range of EV models available in Australia, as well as helping to explain topics such as charging, range and conversions.
Australia’s traditional fossil-fuelled car market has continued its 18-month downturn, whereas electric vehicles have been, pardon the pun, sparking conversations. This has been partly due to the attraction of EVs themselves but also because of some of the negative comments made by the Coalition government in the lead up to May’s election.
The EV Expo gave Sydney-siders the opportunity to discover just how mainstream electric vehicles have become.
Electric vehicle models such as the new Nissan Leaf, which returned to Australian shores after a 7 year hiatus, Hyundai’s Kona Electric and Ioniq, privately owned Tesla Model S sedans, Model X SUVs and the recently arrived Tesla Model 3, were just some of the vehicles on show for visitors to check out. Visitors lined up in droves for a chance to drive in all of the above models, as well a Jaguar I-Pace Electric SUV.
A notable addition to the line-up from carmakers at this year’s expo was the soon-to-be launched new Ioniq from South Korean carmaker Hyundai, with a 38.3kWh battery up from the previous 28kWh, which adds 80km or so to the range, which is now 311km (WLTP).
As well as vehicles from established carmakers (Tesla, the relative newbie of the lot, definitely qualifies as one after another profitable quarter, as reported on Thursday), there was also the newcomer EV Automotive.
EV Automotive plans to introduce a Chinese made Electric SUV called the Glory E3 that Bryce Gaton reported on earlier this month, as well as a fully electric van.
For those wanting to learn about other aspects of EV ownership, such as how and when to charge, or how to work out what vehicle had the best range for a particular driver, a number of speakers shared information throughout the day.
Speakers from AEVA, EV charging networks Chargefox and Evie Networks, the NRMA, and the Tesla Owners Club of Australia were just some of those on hand to speak.
In addition to passenger vehicles, there were a range of Australian-made micro mobility options, including, Brisbane-based, e-Motion’s last mile moped.
Michelle Nazzari of Sydney-based Fonzarelli was also on hand to offer people test rides on a whole range of electric motorbikes, including the incredible NKD road bike, and Fonzarelli’s latest addition, the street-savvy Arthur moped-style electric scooter.
Conversion enthusiasts also lined up their various and wondrous creations, from an all-Electric vintage MG, to a “back to front” ute slash sedan!
Source: https://thedriven.io/2019/10/27/crowds-line-up-to-test-electric-vehicles-at-biggest-ev-expo-to-date/
