Council Charges Ahead With Electric Vehicles
Published on 19 May 2025
Photo: Lara Cumming BSC Sustainability Officer, BSC General Manager Mark Griffioen, Mayor Cr. Steve Allan, Sam Tate BSC Group Leader – Sustainable Environment and Waste
To help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution Bellingen Shire Council has replaced two of its petrol vehicles with electric vehicles. The new Nissan Leaf vehicles will be run on 100% renewable electricity, produce no tailpipe emissions and are also more economical to run.
The vehicles will form part of Council’s pool vehicles, which are available for Council staff to use for work purposes, such as travelling to meetings or on-site inspections. The vehicles are ideal for this purpose as most work-related trips are short in nature.
A charging station has been installed at the Council Chambers to ensure the vehicles are always topped up and ready to go. This site is great for charging as it is powered by a 91kW solar PV system, and any additional electricity is sourced through Council’s 100% renewable electricity Power Purchase Agreement.
Photo: Mayor Cr. Steve Allan learning the robes of the new fleet vehicles.
Mayor Cr Steve Allan was excited to take his first drive in one of the vehicles.
“The quietness of the vehicle and the lack of tailpipe pollutants made for an extremely pleasant driving experience,” said Cr Allan. “I found it smooth and easy to drive, and the dashboard display makes it easy to see how far the vehicle can go before needing to be recharged. This is a great initiative for our Council, and I am pleased that Council is able to lead the charge for a greener future.”
Replacing two of Council’s old petrol fleet vehicles with electric vehicles is just one of the many actions Council is taking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and work towards the targets in its Corporate Carbon Plan. The Plan, originally written in 2019, was recently updated as Council had implemented so many of the actions identified in the original plan that it necessitated identifying more actions to implement leading up to 2030.
With transport being the largest source of community greenhouse gas emissions, Council has also been proactive in driving community solutions. With the average Australian driving just 30–40km a day, electric vehicles make a lot of sense. Council has worked with Charge Point Operators to facilitate the installation of electric vehicle charging stations in Dorrigo, Bellingen and Urunga, which are well-utilised by community members and visitors.
Photo: Nissan Leaf Council fleet vehicles will be run on 100% renewable electricity
The purchase of Council’s new electric vehicles and installation of charging infrastructure was made possible by funding from the NSW Government’s Electric Vehicle Fleets Incentive Kick-start Funding Program. This funding is also available to businesses with a fleet of at least three vehicles, so Council encourages local businesses to check their eligibility and get involved.