ACT Branch

Interested in joining AEVA?

To join AEVA, click here. Once you are a member you'll get regular email updates. Make sure you nominate the ACT as your home branch.

Know Your EV workshop

The ACT Branch presents this hands-on course for potential and new EV owners. The course covers the basics of owning, driving and charging an EV.

Saturday 24th June 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Woden Library, Phillip ACT 2606.

Course outline

EV basics: the similarities and differences between EVs and internal combustion engine cars
Charging your EV: for travel around Canberra
Charging your EV: for distance touring
The EV driving experience (noise, acceleration, regenerative breaking, charging apps, charging etiquette)
Visit a public charger for hands-on experience

Please register via Eventbrite using this link.

EV registrations in the ACT

As of 5 June 2023, the ACT has 4,537 registered electric vehicles.

This represents about 1.4% of the total number of light vehicles registered.

EVs registered as of 5 June 2023

More detailed statistics on ACT vehicle registration (including the number of electric vehicles) may be found here.

Picnic on Red Hill

An enthusiastic group braved the Canberra chilly wind for a picnic at Red Hill lookout on Sunday May 21st, just before winter kicks in. A highlight was using the vehicle-to-load (V2L) feature of the BYD Atto 3 to cook sausages and provide hot capsule coffee.

Now we're cooking on Red Hill

New recommendations on public chargers

On 12 May, the Branch released revised recommendations for public chargers to meet the needs of ACT EV drivers. Key recommendations include:

Canberra needs at least two rapid EV chargers, and many cheaper, slower chargers, in each of its seven districts and the Parliamentary Triangle
New EV charging stations must be accessible to people with disabilities. For example, they must allow people with limited mobility to reach and manipulate charging cables and move freely around their vehicle
It is recommended that the ACT Government work with the Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council to provide at least two fast chargers in Braidwood that Canberra EV drivers would use to travel to and from the South Coast.

Who we are

We are the ACT Branch of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA). We are a volunteer-run, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting electric vehicle technology (including cars, trucks, buses, bikes and scooters) in the ACT. Our members include early adopters and DIY enthusiasts who have converted petrol cars to EVs. Our key motivations include abating emissions and decreasing Australia's dependence on imported fossil fuels. We celebrate the fact that EVs are cleaner, quieter, safer and more reliable.

We aim to promote the uptake of EVs in Canberra. We do this in a context of government support. The ACT Government has a set of policies supporting the transition to zero emission vehicles, and our Branch is working with the ACT Government to encourage this transition.

Our core project for 2021-22 was the "Zero Emissions, Go Electric" Project. This project was funded by a Community Zero Emissions Grant from the ACT Government. A final report on the Project, as presented to the ACT Government's Grants Officer, may be found here.

Our Branch Committee

Current office holders are:

Chair: Richard Czumak (chair@act.aeva.asn.au)

Secretary: Darryl Bourke (secretary@act.aeva.asn.au)

Treasurer: Peter Gorton (treasurer@act.aeva.asn.au)

Director: Jude Burger (representing ACT on the National Council)

General Committee members: Peter Campbell, Warwick Cathro, Simon Claringbold, Mark Hemmingsen, Peter Lyons, Rob Ogilvie and Ben Elliston.

Anyone seeking contact details for other members of the Executive should request them from the Secretary.

Meetings

Our meetings are opportunities to share ideas among our members, to hear from guest speakers, to plan events, and to share information on technical matters.

Our next meeting will be held at 7pm on Monday 19th June 2023.

Our General Meetings are usually held on the third Monday of each month, at 7pm at the Harmonie German Club. In December or late November there is usually a social gathering such as a barbecue at a picnic site.

All members attending these meetings are asked to become members of the Harmonie German Club ($5 annual fee).

AEVA members can access the agendas and minutes of recent monthly ACT Branch meetings. You will need to sign on and to have the status of a financial member in order to view these documents.

Click here to access agendas and minutes

Photo above of AEVA-ACT members at the Ginninderry Inspire Festival

Forum and Facebook pages

The main place tor AEVA discussions is the AEVA Forums website where many topics are discussed among AEVA members all over Australia.

Another popular destination is the Canberra EV Facebook page. "Canberra EV" was the name of the group prior to affiliating with AEVA.

There is also a private AEVA ACT Facebook page here, for the exchange of information that is relevant only to AEVA members.

Influencing government policies

In recent years the ACT Branch has advocated for EV-friendly policies in the ACT, and has contributed to AEVA advocacy at the national level.

In mid 2018 the Branch lodged this submission to the Senate Inquiry into Electric Vehicles. A reflection on the Senate Inquiry can be found in this article.

Between mid 2018 and early 2020, the Branch fostered a Working Group on EV Policy and Advocacy. The final report of that Working Group may be found here. One of its important outcomes was this set of recommendations on EV charging in new strata dedvelopments.

In 2020 the Branch lodged this submission to an inquiry by EVenergi concerning initiatives to drive the transition to zero carbon transportation in the ACT.

The Branch is a member of the Conservation Council ACT Region. During 2020 it worked with other member groups to develop policy recommendations for the ACT election, including the "Sustainable transport" recommendations on page 9 of "Our environment, our future". The Branch will undertake a similar collaboration in the context of the 2024 ACT election.

In 2021 the Branch took a leading role in preparing this AEVA submission to the review of the National Construction Code (NCC). A presentation on this activity, including the successful outcome of the NCC review, may be viewed here.

In 2022 the Branch lodged this submission to an Inquiry into EV uptake by a committee of the ACT Legislative Assembly.

In 2022 the Branch made a a strong contribution to the AEVA National submission on the National EV Strategy.

In May 2023, the Branch issued its recommendations for public EV charging infrastructure in the ACT. This document replaced earlier versions issued in 2021 and 2022, and included recommendations to support the needs of drivers with disabilities.