2024 is likely to mark some big developments in the electric vehicle sector, with sales of EVs doubling in Australia last year as new models hit the market. One Perth couple, already early adopters, are preparing to become one of the first families to use an EV to tow a large caravan around the country.
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00:00 The team behind this impressive rig hoping to circumnavigate the continent is not so
00:07 much grey but green nomads.
00:10 They aren't technology students or a team of EV technicians.
00:15 They're the McClellans of Bassin Deane.
00:17 We thought we've electrified everything at home, can we do it as an electrified trip
00:22 around Australia as well?
00:23 The McClellans plan to exchange the eco-friendly house they built themselves for an eco-friendly
00:28 mobile home they modified themselves.
00:31 I've done some aerodynamic mods to the van which has had the extra bonus of adding more
00:38 solar panels to the roof.
00:39 All appliances have been converted to run on solar power and once they source a towball
00:44 the caravan will be pulled by one of the largest EVs available in Australia.
00:48 How many litres of fossil fuel do you expect to burn during this trip?
00:53 Zero.
00:54 The plan is to set off in March, a few months before the scheduled completion of WA's EV
00:59 highway which will provide charging stations from WA's far north to the South Australian
01:04 border.
01:05 Our electric vehicle charging stations are just the start.
01:08 They're intended to incentivise the uptake of electric vehicles.
01:13 The Australian EV Association says the chargers themselves are user friendly.
01:17 Having chargers every 200 kilometres or thereabouts means every single EV available on the market
01:24 today can do that trip.
01:26 Synergy is hoping that means more Australians becoming more confident about switching to
01:31 EVs for the longer haul.
01:33 It was only less than a year ago that we only had about 10,000 electric vehicles in the
01:38 state and that's nearly double that already.
01:41 This is not a matter of racing around Australia but ideally if we haven't used any fossil
01:46 fuels that's success to me.
01:49 As is perhaps the opportunity to help pioneer guilt free, fossil fuel free, long distance
01:55 travel.
01:55 .
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