Local councils could save money by switching their fleets to electric vehicles because they pay for themselves if the total cost of ownership is considered, a study featuring council data from the Municipal Association of Victoria has found.
The study by ClimateWorks Australia in collaboration with MAV and the Electric Vehicle Council was discussed at the Electric Vehicle Transition conference on 26 August, The Driven reported.
“The data is based on six years’ ownership, using purchase price minus resale value, plus fuel, maintenance, insurance, tyres, divided by number of kilometres from data compiled from 79 local Victorian councils,” the Driven said.
The savings from lower operating and maintenance costs were calculated using battery electric and plug-in hybrid models that were available to councils in late 2018.
That was before the arrival of new fully-electric vehicles from Hyundai, Nissan, and Tesla.
Participating councils said their intention to buy electric vehicles rose once they had relevant impartial information, meaning it was vital to expand the program nationally as a way of reducing Australia’s transport emissions, the study said.
Councils needed opportunities to work with each other, so councils that are already using electric vehicles can share their experiences.
“Council representatives have strong inside knowledge of the environment in which a Council operates, so can offer valuable insights into effective strategies for creating change within,” the study added.