Mildura Rural City Council's Electrifying Mildura project is a finalist in the Cities Power Partnership's fifth annual National Climate Awards.
Council's Electrifying Mildura project aims to transition the organisation's light and heavy fleet to zero emissions vehicles by 2030 and 2040 respectively, cutting tens of thousands of dollars from Council's annual vehicle running and maintenance costs.
The project also aims to increase the uptake of electric vehicles in the community through supporting the installation of public EV fast charging infrastructure.
According to Australia's Electric Vehicle Council, EV drivers save an average of $1,600 per year on fuel costs and $400 a year in maintenance and servicing costs.
Councillor for Environment and Sustainability Jason Modica said these savings were expected to be even greater for Council's vehicle fleet given the organisation's EVs were largely able to be charged for free utilising rooftop solar power, or at very low cost.
"It's well established that powering an EV is about 70% cheaper than internal-combustion engines, and as we transition our vehicle fleet, these annual savings will continue to multiply," Cr Modica said.
"There's also huge environmental benefits of slashing our carbon emissions, which in the case of our vehicle fleet, represents about 10% of the carbon emissions we produce."
Electrifying Mildura is part of Council's broader Towards Zero Emissions Strategy and aim to become the most EV friendly municipality in Australia.
Cities Power Partnership Director Dr Portia Odell congratulated Council on making the final shortlist for the awards, saying this year's entries reflected a new level of climate action and ambition amongst local governments.
"From councils collaborating to source 100% renewable energy to power their operations to supporting low-income households to install solar panels and insulate their homes, our finalists are leading the way," Dr Odell said.
Winners will be announced at the Cities Power Partnership's Climate Summit for Local Government on Thursday 7 September in Melbourne.
