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Lake Macquarie Council is helping lead the electrification of the state's transport sector, new Climate Council research shows.
The council's latest analysis - Are we there yet? Clean Transport Scorecard - tracks each state and territory's transport emissions and examines how they are faring on a variety of clean transport solutions: public transport, walking and riding, and uptake of electric fleets.
It has called for more ambitious targets for the electrification of transport fleets. In particular it says the current timeline of 2047 to electrify all NSW buses should be brought forward to 2035 and applied to all public transport.
The Climate Council also praised Lake Macquarie Council's Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy, which includes an action plan to deploy and facilitate introduction of charging infrastructure to prepare the community for electric vehicles.
The council has already invested in nine battery electric vehicles and 75 hybrid electric vehicles, which make up 45 per cent of its passenger fleet.
It has installed two DC fast charging stations at Swansea and Toronto in addition to three AC charging stations at the Speers Point administrative building.
The carpark has been designed "EV ready", with all 53 car spaces ready to have charging stations installed as demand increases.
The council's administrative building fleet carpark hosts 175 kW of solar PV and 9 EV charging stations, three of which are bidirectional compatible. This means they can be used in future trials to use the vehicles' batteries to support the demand of the building, thereby reducing electrical network charges.
The works depot has six AC charging stations, with plans to install additional infrastructure as part of a project to improve resilience at the site
In addition, the council has just been awarded grant funding as part of the EV Destination Charging Grants program to install six new charging stations at its holiday parks and Speers Point Park.
Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser said the Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy provided a framework for consistent deployment of charging infrastructure by business, residents and the council.
"All indicators point toward an increasingly electric future on our roads, and we need to start preparing now to ensure we are ready for this change," she said.
"In the interim, council is transitioning its passenger vehicle fleet to hybrid petrol/electric vehicles. We currently have nine Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) and to reduce fleet emissions, we have transitioned 75 passenger vehicles from petrol or diesel to hybrids in our fleet.
"Council has also upgraded the EV charging station at its Speers Point administration building, with three modern chargers installed. In addition, Council has been awarded grant funding to install more destination EV Chargers at three key tourism locations across the city by 30 June 2023."
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