As South Australians, along with the rest of the nation, feel the pinch of soaring petrol prices, the current fuel crisis could accelerate the shift towards electric vehicles and other all-electric infrastructure.
The Glam Adelaide company car is, in fact, an all-electric MINI Countryman. As an EV driver, Glam Adelaide’s Kelly Noble has found there are still plenty of misconceptions about going electric, particularly around the cost of charging and ease of access to charging points.
One of the biggest surprises is that it can be way cheaper than you might think. In fact, to charge the Countryman, which gets driven every day, it costs Kelly about $15 once a week. A full charge gives about 430 to 450km of range. All it takes is a bit of planning, because you will have to leave your car on charge for a couple of hours at a regular speed charging point. But if you don’t have the time, there are plenty of fast chargers around SA. For a full regular speed charge in a CBD U-Park, it costs about $20, just over half the cost of a fast charge in Glenelg, at $37.
But what if you’re driving in regional areas? Will there even be places to charge your car? The short answer is yes, and often they’re completely free. It recently cost Kelly $0 to charge the car at the new Monarto Safari Park Safari Lodge with a free RAA charger. It is worth noting that this caps charge at 75 per cent. And it’s hard to argue with free charging.
With EV uptake becoming a growing talking point, we reached out to the experts at Adelaide BMW and Adelaide MINI Garage to find out more.
They tell us the growing interest isn’t just theoretical. On the ground in Adelaide, dealerships are already seeing a clear shift in how locals are thinking about their next car purchase.
“Yes, there has absolutely been a noticeable increase in interest in electric MINI and BMW vehicles. We are seeing a real shift in mentality, even from guests who may have once been against electric, as more people begin to understand the practicality and long term benefits.”
“Hybrid vehicles are also proving to be a very attractive entry point for those not yet ready to go fully electric. From our perspective, the challenge is less about demand and more about ensuring the manufacturer can keep pace with stock, which is something we have been very conscious of in our strategy.”
It’s a shift that seems to have first been driven by environmental awareness, but now is much more closely rooted in household budgets feeling the pressure. As petrol prices climb and climb with no end in sight, the appeal of locking in lower running costs is becoming very hard to ignore.
“With cost of living continuing to rise and so much economic uncertainty, more people are looking for practical ways to reduce ongoing expenses and protect themselves from future fuel spikes. We know of multiple households swapping cars and opting for public transport to save money.”
“An EV like a MINI or BMW is starting to feel like a very sensible option for many customers. We have just launched order allocation for the all new iX3, and it has already generated extremely strong demand as anticipated. MINI electric stock is also moving quickly, which reflects the growing momentum we are seeing across the market. Price and charging are still considerations for some, which is why hybrid vehicles are also proving to be a strong entry point for those wanting to transition in a way that feels more manageable.”
And while barriers like upfront cost and charging infrastructure still come up in conversations, they’re no longer stopping the conversation altogether. Instead, EV attention is growing, and quickly.
“The interest in EV is only just getting started, and we certainly have not hit the peak yet. From our perspective, the focus is less about creating interest and more about ensuring we have the right stock available to meet the growing demand.”
“Guests are already curious, engaged and far more open minded than they were even a short time ago, so the real opportunity now is being ready for what is still to come.”
That local perspective is backed by broader expert commentary from interstate, with researchers pointing to a national shift in how Australians are thinking about fuel, electrification and household resilience.
Professor Yolande Strengers, Director (Research) Monash Energy Institute and Associate Director (Energy Futures) at the Emerging Technologies Research Lab, Faculty of Information Technology, says, “We’re seeing a significant increase in interest and sales for EVs in the current fuel crisis. Australians are already at the forefront of seeking energy resilience and independence through their investment in rooftop solar PV and home batteries, and the crisis has given households who can afford it another push in that direction.”
“With fuel prices putting extra pressure on cost of living, we need to be careful that the most vulnerable members of society don’t get left behind. More households are likely to face energy hardship by experiencing difficulty in paying their bills in the current climate.”
Dr Terrence Mak, Department of Data Science & AI, Faculty of Information Technology adds, “The fuel crisis is a wake up call for the country to move to more electrification and better contingency management on fuel supply. We are already seeing higher demand for electric vehicles…”
While petrol prices continue to climb at bowsers across the country, there’s an optimism this unique situation will help accelerate the rollout of EV infrastructure and begin to reduce some of the barriers to going electric.
“Australia’s power grids are well-equipped to handle the potential increased uptake of EVs and electrification in the coming months,” says Dr Mak.
“The key issue here is actually about the storage of excess solar and wind-powered energy produced in Australia. Essentially, we are generating more electricity through renewable sources than we can store. Increased adoption of EVs will actually help this issue since the cars essentially are mobile storage batteries.”
With the South Australian Government already investing heavily into EV adoption and charging, perhaps soon the question will no longer be if South Australians will consider an electric vehicle, but when.
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