Wyndham City is supporting greener transport options through the installation of Electric Vehicles (EV) charging stations, and is calling for feedback on the policy that will guide future initiatives.
Wyndham supports technology that emits little to no pollution, is more economical and leaves a smaller environmental footprint.
The Draft Electric Vehicle Policy guides Council's role and responsibility in creating an environment that supports electric vehicle take up.
Broadly speaking, these responsibilities relate to planning and making it easier for the private market to install both public and private charging infrastructure. It also focusses on delivery of critical infrastructure to support Council's own fleet transition and proposes to support our community in their own transition to EVs by providing useful information and public charging options.
The Policy proposes six guiding principles to addresses these responsibilities:
Guiding principle |
Explanation |
Decarbonisation |
Actions under the policy must support Wyndham's target of net-zero community emissions by 2040 and Council's net-zero corporate emissions target by 2023. |
Integrated Planning |
Actions should promote integrated and strategic planning approaches, supporting the EV transition whilst promoting the use of active and public transport travel modes. |
Equitable access |
Wyndham's EV charging network should provide equitable and convenient access to EV charges that addresses the current and future needs of the Wyndham community and its visitors. |
Economic Development |
Wyndham's EV charging network should support economic development and the activation of Wyndham neighbourhoods and tourist destinations. |
Fit for purpose |
Actions need to ensure the right EV chargers are installed in the right locations, by the right organisations and at the right time. Actions must be responsive to changes in market and technology. |
Smart City |
Actions should be informed by smart city concepts, leveraging intelligent and innovative planning solutions that integrates digital and physical assets to improve operations and outcomes. |
Wyndham City's Smart Cities portfolio holder Cr Sahana Ramesh welcomed the policy.
"We need a policy to guide installations at home and in public spaces, helping to address the significant shortfall of public charging stations in Melbourne's west - allowing Wyndham's current and future electric vehicle owners to travel their community without worrying about range."
"This policy will support Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles that have a battery and an internal combustion engine, it will also support Battery Electric Vehicles that are 100% powered by an on-board rechargeable battery - this includes electric bicycles."
"We look forward to hearing the community's thoughts on the policy, as we're seeing a growing trend in our community regarding uptake of EVs and there's a need for forward planning to support our community and the environment," she said.
