A development application to construct a petrol station on Northerly Street in Vasse will go before the City of Busselton Council on Wednesday, July 28, 2021.
The petrol station is set to be built on agricultural land bound by the Bussell Highway, south of the Franklin Wetland and north of the Vasse Light Industrial Area.
If successful it will be the third petrol station along the 1.1 kilometre stretch of road and the third new station in the Busselton region currently in the development process or under construction.
With more than 10 petrol stations already operating in the Busselton area and another two which could pop up on West Street is it time we looked at alternatives?
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there are more than two million vehicles registered in Western Australia.
Of those, around 1,200 are fully electric vehicles, which is less than 0.1 per cent of registered vehicles in WA.
Cost is still a barrier for many Australians wanting to make the shift to electric or hybrid vehicles.
The entry price for a new hybrid vehicle starts around $27,000 for a four-door hatchback and ranges into the hundreds of thousands for luxury vehicles.
RAC communications manager Rhys Heron said there was an appetite for electric vehicles in WA, with a recent RAC survey revealing nearly one in two respondents would consider purchasing an electric or hybrid vehicle as their next car.
"However, the initial purchase price of electric vehicles is a significant barrier to further uptake," he said.
"Right now, the range of electric vehicles available in WA is narrow and expensive.
"Limited charging infrastructure and range anxiety also remain significant barriers."
In 2015, the RAC opened its Electric Highway connecting Perth to the South with 15 charging stations along the route.
The state government also released an electric vehicle strategy to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles in WA.
A number of countries in Europe have pledged to ban the sale of petrol vehicles within the next decade and offer tax subsides to incentive buyers.
Mr Heron said a broad range of incentives and policies, including targeted emissions reduction, financial rebates and infrastructure investment, would all play a vital role in the uptake of electric vehicles going forward.
"Electric vehicles deliver a wide range of social, economic and environmental benefits and will play an important role in the future of transport in WA," he said.
"As electric vehicles dont produce any tailpipe emissions, they will go a long way to reducing harmful emissions in WA and leading us to a future of cleaner and healthier air."
Have your say:
Would you consider an electric or hybrid vehicle as your next car? Why or why not?
