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.

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• 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.

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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.

Click here to see the latest range and pricing information for Blade Electron.

NECO’s Electron

Smart Green Living experts, NECO, are happy with their Electron:

“We’ve had our Blade Electric Vehicle (“Electron”) for almost 12 months now, and we couldn’t be happier. We love the fact that it is zero emissions, has zippy performance, and turns heads for all the right reasons!

Big pat-on-the-back to Ross Blade and the team at BEV for the work they have done on this car. They’ve also had some great write-ups in “Drive” in recent weeks. Support local engineering and manufacturing, and try an Electron – it’s the future of motoring today!”

Neco's Electron

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The Electron with the mighty Tesla

Electric vehicles converged on the Mecca of Australian motor racing, Mount Panorama in Bathurst, last week for the Central NSW Councils Electric Vehicle Challenge.

An eerie silence descended over the Mount in what would have to be the quietest “race meeting” ever held there.

The Electron was joined in circuits of the famous track by the world’s only production electric sports car, the Tesla. While the $250,000, two seat Tesla zoomed (at the public speed limit of 60kmh) around the track, the Electron carried four adults at a time easily over the testing, steep mountain and down the long straight, picking up valuable regenerative energy at the same time.

After six full circuits of the 6.5 km track, the fuel gauge still indicated over 50% charge remaining, confirming the claimed range figures for the Electron (allowing for load and hilly terrain).

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV was notably absent from the Challenge.

Simon Hackett, MD of Internode and an Electron (and Tesla) owner, puts it succinctly: “Once you drive an electric car, you realise you are in a generation-changing vehicle. And I don’t miss the generation I’m leaving.”

On the start grid

The batteries in the Electron are ideally suited to Australia’s hot climate.

For the past two years Electrons owned by various Victorian councils have been kept outside in all weather without any cover 24 hours a day seven days a week.

During that time data collected by the University of Ballarat has shown no appreciable deterioration in the capacity of the battery packs.

And Electron batteries absorb and deliver more energy the warmer the weather gets.

Peter Meurs, managing director for WorleyParsons’ sustainable business arm EcoNomics, shows off his Blade Electron at the launch of Australia’s first major EV trial in Western Australia.

See video report here.

Read the story here

On display is the ‘CO2 Tacho’ to be installed in each Electron (naturally it will be smaller) to (a) record the CO2 content of energy being put into the car and (b) allow the drive to automatically set charging to commence when Green energy on the grid is at its highest and to turn charging off when dirty power is at its highest.