How To Make Policy Fiscally Resonsible.
May 2005…
EV Owner: I’ve converted my vehicle to electric drive, here is the completed approval paperwork.
Queensland Transport customer service representative: Err…we don’t have a category for electric vehicles, it’ll have to remain registered as a petrol vehicle.
EV Owner: Oh.
…Two Years Later…
Journalist: Why are you opposed to the proposal of free registration for environmentally friendly vehicles such as hybrid and electric vehicles?
State Gov’t Rep: Because we already provide a discount for registered electric vehicles, they only pay $159.35.
Journalist: How many electric vehicles are registered in Queensland?
State Gov’t Rep: Err…none.
Journalist: Oh.
Mmm. A few E-E friendly folk took the time to point out this article in the local rag, printed Friday the 20th of April;
So after a 20 minute phone call and a one hour visit in person to the Customer Service Center of the local transport authority I was advised to write a letter to the “Policy” people to get the discount I’d never heard of. Did that today so we’ll see what transpires…in the meantime I’ll continue to hover around in my non-existent E-E.
May 7th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
Interesting stuff,there is so much that could be done right now on a political
level,such as reduced registration,free parking in cities,tax incentives for purchase,etc,etc .
Keep it up.
May 8th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Thanks Kel,
Yes, I think it’s often the little things that make a difference, gives more credibility, gets the ball rolling etc.
(I’ve just looked at the title of this post again and I’m not so sure it’s so obviously cynical as I meant it to be!)
May 11th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Shaun,
Have you done this project as an individual or been supported by a group (ie friends) or organization?
IS the car now registered in QLD?
Have you always been concerned about and an active participant for environmental change?
Outstanding contribution to all of us,
Thanks,
Sarah.
May 14th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Hi Shaun
Australia’s got a bit of catching up to do compared to the list of incentives for EV and Hybrid vehicles in the States - check out this link below!
[Alternate Fuel] Incentives & Laws: USA State Summary
http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/progs/ddown_matrx.cgi
As the Australian Federal election race heats up, it will be interesting to see whether the Government or the opposition propose new incentives along these line for Australians to consider Hybrid, EV or other low emission personal transport option - apart from walking or riding a bike, that is
Alex
May 14th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
Hi Sarah,
Sorry about the slow response, been a bit distracted lately.
My brother and brother in-law kept me “honest” throughout the project and have contributed significantly in various ways.
The car has always been legally registered, just not classified specifically as an electric car. It’s a technicality really but one that hinders eligibility for the discounted registration!
I’ve always believed we can do things so much better but we choose not to because it’s cheaper in the short term and somebody’s making lots of money but now the chickens are coming home to roost. I really like trees but I don’t hug them. I really enjoy motor sports yet it seems completely pointless to me, to be (inefficiently) consuming a precious finite resource just to get to work and back everyday when we know we can do it so much better.
Thanks.
May 14th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Hi Alex,
The way this election is hotting up soon you’ll get a free Prius every time you have a baby.
Seriously though, do you realise that with the tax breaks just promised every household could have had 100% renewable energy for their domestic electricity consumption?! How stupid are us humans…
June 5th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
I really admire what you have done with the car. If only our state or federal governments were as innovative with their policy making as you have been converting your car, we could reduce our CO emissions on a large scale.
I have been doing some reading on other EV conversion websites and while the concept of ripping out a petrol engine and substituting it with an electric motor seems simple enough, the actual process, as described by others, seems so very complicated if you don’t have an electrical or mechanical trade background. Do you have a mechanical or electrical trade background or are you self taught?
I was also wondering if you know of any electric car conversion kits suitable for Australian cars available either here or overseas?
June 9th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Hi Daly,
Bit slow with the responses at the moment, sorry.
I have a strong (>10yrs) background in mechanics and various jobs as a technician (comm’s at the moment) so the project was mostly an enjoyable opportunity to re-use some of those skills.
The only quality conversion kits that I’d recommend are from Canadian Electric Vehicles ; http://www.canev.com/ I’m not sure if they suit any equivalent vehicles here in Australia however.
Another option to consider, if you’re rich, is to buy a >’04 Toyota Prius and wait/hope for the after market plug-in kits to become available.
June 16th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
You do a great job brother and you assist in keeping your family honest too
, it just frustrates me that Politics and what comes out of it are so often so useless - such pretense of being green by them
July 8th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
I would like to contact hybrid owners (Prius of Civic) as I am considering buying a vehicle.
Regards
John Pietila
July 11th, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Hi John,
Sorry, I missed your comment first time.
Mmm, that’s a tricky one, Alex…any ideas?
If you’re in Australia you could try the ATA. I know quite a few of their members own Prii. (I did a show and tell from them a while back, shot my mouth off about hybrids being stupid ’cause you couldn’t plug them in, didn’t go down to well, :-0 what a goose! I have a very different point of view now, with plug-in kits, hybrids will change the world.)
September 22nd, 2007 at 12:25 pm
Shaun,
I was so surprised to see your web and to learn what you have acheived.
Congratulations! You have created a historical moment in the history of motoring in Queensland. I want to build one of these electically propelled machines. My main concern is; will it be able to be registered to drive on the road? I think it might by your example. The next concern is that I only just know which end of a spanner is the business end, and naught about electricity; i.e. hopeless, but have the time, the place and the resources. What about the safety issue? I have read awful reasons for not having a large collection of batteries behind you if there is an accident. The bottom line is that I want to be the first in our area to be driving around in my own electric car! We do lots of short runs around town, perfect for our project. A man ahead of his time, like you!
Tim.
September 23rd, 2007 at 8:57 pm
Hi Tim,
The vehicle registration requirements are in my journal here; http://www.electric-echo.com/EV_Design_Reqs_With_Responses.pdf
Apparently you may need to spend a few hundred dollars hiring an engineer to sign off on the technical stuff these days.
Safety is all in the design, bottom line is if it wasn’t safe I wouldn’t been driving it. Besides, I’d much rather been in an accident with a few broken batteries rather than a ruptured fuel tank!
Electric cars have been around longer than petrol ones they just couldn’t compete with Mother Nature’s free dinosaur juice for energy storage. Things have changed quite a bit now and there are many reasons why we need to go back to the future and move into the 21st century…