The Blade Electron is a watershed concept in automotive market practice. For years academics have put forward the concept of extending the life of cars from 10 years to 25 years and even more to reduce their environmental impact. The Hot Rod industry is an example where vehicles are maintained and kept on the road in prime condition 60 years after manufacturer. These vehicles have in the passage of time become classics and instead of being consigned to the scrap heap are recovered, rebuilt and traded among a unique community of drivers.

As Australia’s first full production all electric car the Blade Electron has a unique place in the countries automotive history. Electron owner might consider nursing this legacy and the cars in the coming decades to minimise their environmental impact.

The Blade Electron remains about changing the throw away culture associated with car ownership to one of respecting the cost to the environment embodied in the car and in response ensuring it is kept in useful service for the next 25 years.

The Blade Electron was a star performer at the Green Zone Drive event in Melbourne’s Docklands precinct over the week of October 2-8. Over 100 people test drove the Electron over a 3.5 kilometre circuit around public roads. As expected, it performed flawlessly in the testing environment (including during the severe storms on the Wednesday).

Wednesday October 6 2010 saw the launch in Melbourne of the 5 year, $5m Victorian Electric Vehicle Trial. The Electron attended alongside the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and a plug-in Toyota Hybrid Camry (not yet available in Australia).

The Trial was launched by the Premier, John Brumby, who took a couple of spins around the Federation Square carpark in the Electron. He spoke at length about the purpose of the Trial – “to make Victoria an EV-friendly state”, and highlighted the success of Blade Electric Vehicles.

Transport and Roads Minister Tim Pallas also attended, as did Education Minister Bronwyn Pike.

The Blade Electron Mark V will be participating in the Green Zone Drive event in Melbourne’s Docklands precinct from October 2 to October 8. Members of the public can book test drives around a 3.5km circuit, allowing them first hand experience of the Electron driving experience.

BEV staff will be on hand to explain car controls and answer questions.

To book a test drive, go to www.greenzonedrive.com.au, select the Blade Electron and choose a date and time.

See you there!

The Canberra Electric Vehicle Festival, held on Saturday, September 18, was an unqualified success. Over 10,000 people attended to see the three commercially available electric vehicles together for the first time. Two Blade Electrons were displayed alongside the Tesla Roadster and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, with many patrons opting to go for a quick spin on a closed section of road.

The Festival also featured historical EVs, in particular two Detroit cars from the early 20th Century.

As well as the Electron, the Canberra EV Festival will have everything from a Tesla to a 1917 vintage Detroit Electric – still going strong. A range of Vectrix electric motorbikes and stalls showcasing conversions, infrastructure technology and more. Free entry, food, refreshments, rides and entertainment, the first electric vehicle festival will be a very positive experience! Be part of it.

Brought to you by the Australian Electric Vehicle Association in partnership with the ACT Electric Vehicle Council.

Saturday, 18 September, 2010: 10am – 4pm, on the lawns in front of Old Parliament House, Canberra.

NB. NOT OCTOBER 4 AS IN IMAGE – that was last year!

• Food & Refreshments
• Children’s Entertainment / Rides
• Electric Vehicle converter stalls
• Electric Vehicle parts suppliers stalls
• Electric Vehicle Science & Technology stalls
• Upcoming Production Electric Vehicles
• Demonstration of the Tesla Roadster electric super car
• Historical Electric Vehicles such as the Detroit Electric
• and much more!!!

From the Canberra Times, August 8th 2010

BY NOEL TOWELL

19 Aug, 2010 09:07 AM

It will cost you $48,000 and you can’t drive it to Sydney but the Blade Electron represents progress on many fronts.

First, it’s the closest you can get to an Australian-built electric car and driving 100km in it will cost you $2.

Provided the electricity comes from renewable sources, that’s the greenest 100km you’ll find, short of a pushbike.

And with the Electron capable of charging in eight hours from a domestic power point, it doesn’t have to wait for the promised electric car recharging points to appear around the city.

The car, if it does everything its makers say it can, could launch Castlemaine into the ranks of Australian automotive, or electromotive, household names.

Read the original article>

• Interested in a contributing to a sustainable future?
• Looking for a Zero Emission transport solution?
• Looking to purchase an Electric Vehicle?

Look No Further.

Clean Driving is a local project bringing commercial electric cars to the Canberra Region, Today.

If you’ve seen the green “I’m run on 100% green electricity” car around Canberra, you’ve seen the future of Zero Emissions driving.

If you’re ready to go electric, would like to find out more about electric vehicles or even test drive one, Clean Driving will be happy to help you out.

If you’re ready to “go electric” they’ve done the hard work, and can help get you organised with a brand new electric car and have you motoring the electric way in no time.

Visit the Clean Driving website.

Wollemi Systems is an ICT consultancy in Canberra, ACT.

The Wollemi Systems Electron

In late 2009, as part of Wollemi System’s commitment to helping create a sustainable future, they embarked on the purchase of a new electric car…

Asking around the local dealerships they received nothing but blank looks. “We have hybrids” was about as close as they could get! Hybrid cars are only part of the solution. They wanted a zero emission vehicle and therefore electric was the only solution.

Then they discovered BEV.

READ MORE>

NZ Minister for Climate Change Issues - Dr Nick Smith

NZ Minister for Climate Change Issues, Dr Nick Smith, gave a speech to the 6th Climate Change And Business Conference in Sydney on Wednesday, 11 August 2010.

Dr Smith has been driving an Electron in his electorate of Nelson for over 2 years. In the speech he says in part:

“Another initiative of which I have a personal interest is encouraging the uptake of electric car technologies.

“ New Zealand having such a large percentage of renewable electricity is uniquely placed to reduce emissions from the new generation of battery powered cars.

“Full credit to Blade Electric Vehicles in Melbourne (sic) who converted my Hyundai Getz into full electric.

“My nine-year old son disapprovingly calls it a “nana car” but it is technology such as this that is helping pave the way with its zero emissions.”

The Conference Communique contains recommendations in the transport area including:

• Help change behaviour through incentives, regulations and gov’t best practice e.g. with its vehicle fleets.
• Work on integrating infrastructure e.g. upgrade electricity grid to facilitate renewable power for vehicles.

Full transcript of speech here.