00:03In the coal-powered Latrobe Valley, Andy McCarthy has turned heads in his electric car for more than a decade.
00:10You can imagine in the Latrobe Valley in 2015 when EVs hadn't taken off yet, the scorn and the ridicule
00:15that I went through at the time.
00:17Back then I really did think, gee, am I crazy?
00:20But as the price of diesel soars in country Victoria, more drivers in the region are making the switch.
00:25I had to go and fill up my wife's car the other day and I was like, $128?
00:30It was actually the first time I'd thought about it in years.
00:33And that's reflected in EV sale figures in regional Victoria.
00:36As we see more options in utes and medium SUVs grow in the Australian market, we're seeing increased share of
00:43EVs in regional areas like Ballarat and Gippsland across Australia.
00:47But many regional drivers remain reluctant to make a switch.
00:52More of an outdoorsy, off-grid kind of person. It's not going to suit everyone, simple as that.
00:58I have a lot of kangaroos and everything out at home, so hitting one of those in an electric vehicle,
01:04I feel like it would cause me more damage.
01:06If I wasn't towing caravan, I would definitely consider an EV. Definitely, yes.
01:11Another barrier in regional areas is access to fast chargers like these. And as EV sales accelerate, industry experts say
01:19funding for infrastructure will need to keep pace with the growing demand.
01:22We do need to see more fast and ultra-fast charging infrastructure installed on our highways and in areas that
01:29businesses would naturally go and invest.
01:31I think that it's just going to be such a smooth transition once we get the infrastructure right.
01:35Because people will experience it and realise that it's just a better way to drive and then from there, I
01:40think this transition just takes care of itself.
01:41A shift in gears as country petrol prices climb.
Comments