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Shire of Northam vehicle fleet to run entirely on renewable energy

A West Australian council has pledged to transition its entire light vehicle fleet to electric and hydrogen within a decade.

The Northam Shire council unanimously passed a motion on Wednesday night to replace 20 utes, 10 SUVs and two sedans with zero emissions vehicles by 2031. 

Six electric vehicle (EV) charging points will be built, including at the homes of some Shire staff, with the transition set to cost ratepayers $200,000 over 10 years. 

The move does not include the firefighting fleet, which is managed by the state government. 

Northam Shire chief executive officer Jason Whiteaker said it was part of a wider move to reduce emissions. 

"It's really part of a push, from council's perspective, to be mindful of our environment and to show some leadership in the community," Mr Whiteaker said.

"Over the past 12 to 18 months we've spent a lot of time analysing our operations and our carbon footprint."

"We want to reflect the views of our community." 

Modelling of the policy suggests carbon emissions will be reduced by 360 tonnes over 10 years.

A review would be held in 2027 following a late amendment, with some councillors expressing concern over a complete reliance on EVs. 

Mr Whiteaker said all risk factors have been considered. 

"Council has got backup power supplies ... if you do get a blackout for a day or for a few hours, we just don't think that's going to have a significant impact on our operations," he said. 

In May, the City of Vincent became the first local government in WA to introduce a car fleet consisting entirely of electric vehicles. 

Construction of Australia's longest EV charger network began in the state's Midwest last month, as part of a $21m transition plan by the state government. 

Charging stations would be built as far north as Kununurra, as far south as Albany, and throughout the Wheatbelt and Goldfields regions. 

The Shire of Northam was also partnering with Synergy to build up to six EV charging stations in the CBD for public use. 

Mr Whiteaker wanted to encourage more locals to transition to renewable vehicles. 

"We're hoping to roll out the first [public-use chargers] in 2023," he said.

"What we're trying to do is show leadership and provide infrastructure for the community so people can transition with us." 

Australia remains stuck in the slow lane for electric vehicles(Nadia Daly)
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