This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au
Took the electric vehicles out for a spin the other day. With ease, the e-bike got me up a bush trail which normally taxes the post-COVID lungs. The UAV - a pocket-sized unmanned aerial vehicle or drone - took to the sky taking photos and recording video. A few years ago, getting those images would have required a costly plane or helicopter ride, and all the emissions along with it. These days, an hour and a half on the charger will deliver about half-an-hour of flight time. A fully charged battery will get about 70km on the e-bike - not enough for a long trip but great for ducking down to the shops, checking the surf on neighbouring beaches or finding a new location for a drone flight. The two are just small tastes of an emissions-free future that inched closer last week.
The passing in the House of Representatives of Labor's Climate Bill was followed up on Friday with an announcement of six proposed offshore wind-powered energy generation locations around the country. Early days still but the transition away from fossil fuels is under way. The ACT hastened it last month, announcing a ban on new petrol and diesel cars from 2035. Out on the highways, among all the gas-guzzlers, the RAM trucks and Toyota Hiluxes, electric vehicles are making inroads but not quickly enough. Supply problems, range anxiety caused by a slow rollout of charging infrastructure, and the high price of EVs in Australia have made us hesitant to make the switch.
"Australia lags the world on take-up of electric cars," Labor's website says. "Just 1.5 per cent of cars sold here are electric and plug-in hybrid - compared to 17 per cent in the United Kingdom, and 85 per cent in Norway. In total, there are only around 24,000 registered electric cars on Australian roads, of around 15 million total cars." The new government introduced a tax discount on electric vehicles on July 1 in a bid to make them more affordable. It has also announced plans for a national charging network. The high cost of fuel might push a few more of us across the EV line, even if fears of a global recession have pushed crude prices to their lowest level since before the Russian invasion.
Trying to buy any new vehicle right now is challenging, thanks to supply shortages. Dealers talk of wait times of up to a year on some petrol models - there's often a few diesels hanging about but demand for them has dwindled in the face of soaring fuel costs. For EVs, the wait is even longer. In June, 1137 electric vehicles were sold across Australia. It July it was half that, with 609 sold. People want them; they just can't get them.
So, in the meantime, perhaps consider an e-bike. In the US last year, they outsold their four-wheeled electric cousins to become the most popular form of EV. At a fraction of the cost of an electric car, they'll handle those small trips, get you some fresh air and deliver a nice serving of smug when you zoom past cyclists on traditional treadlies labouring up those long, steep hills.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Will you make the shift to an electric vehicle when they become more available? Have you made the shift and, if so, was it worth it? Would you consider an e-bike as a form of transport? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie has told a royal commission of the six-week video surveillance conducted by Veterans' Affairs on her in and outside her family home. Senator Lambie said the resulting report felt intrusive, contained "personal attacks", saying that she never smiled, and included interviews with former schoolmates that described her as having grown up with a "doughy look" on her face.
- The risk of foot and mouth disease reaching Australia is diminishing as Indonesia suppresses its outbreak, state and territory leaders have been told. West Australian Premier Mark McGowan on Friday indicated there was optimism Indonesia was getting on top of its outbreak. "We had a long discussion about foot and mouth disease yesterday at national cabinet," he told reporters.
- The former Morrison government lacked long-term vision, sent mixed messaging on climate policy and lost public trust, the Liberal Party's youth wing says. The Young Liberal Movement of Australia has blamed mounting political scandals, inaction in critical public policy areas and the treatment of women as reasons for the election loss in May.
THEY SAID IT: "Clear skies and clean air must become the new normal. We must re-design our cities, reclaiming the streets for cycling and walking, allowing people to walk along streets unpolluted by traffic." - Caroline Lucas
YOU SAID IT: Adam Bandt's challenge to Paul Keating for a debate and Lidia Thorpe's fist-raising antics drew a slew of comments.
Veronica was clear about who she'd back in a debate: "I hope Bandt is ready to take on a battle with the grown-ups here. Paul Keating will wipe the floor with the silly, petulant little boy. Go Paul, my hero."
Ian said Bandt was playing with fire: "Gee, Adam Bandt is game since the federal election. While some of his causes are admirable and relevant, challenging Paul Keating to a debate at the National Press Club seems like a bridge too far. In short, the young Mr Bandt doesn't know what he doesn't know, and Paul Keating would humiliate and destroy him at such an event. Keating was the 'big dog' in Australian politics for over two decades, and left much better men than Mr Bandt in his wake. Just be happy that you can contribute to good governance, Mr Bandt, and please keep your head out of the mouth of a lion."
The Greens appear to have lost Joy's vote: "I am regretting voting Green for the first (and probably last) time. They are behaving like petulant children. Surely they can learn to express their concerns in a more effective manner."
Hugh had a poor assessment of the Greens' performance: "The Greens are not attempting to take us with them. Dropping our standard of living will not go down well. The Greens in Germany are firing up their old, coal-fired power stations."
Felix took issue with one of the questions: "Why always the patronizing 'Have the Greens learned from their mistakes?' line? It seems to me that the Greens have mostly been right about issues, but ahead of the rest of us. Maybe we need to catch up and ask who is really mistaken."
Ruth had a few words to say about Lidia Thorpe's behaviour: "I cannot comment on all the Green senators but I wonder how long Victorians will tolerate Lidia Thorpe representing only her chosen few and not providing a voice for all Victorians."
Gregory was firmly in the Bandt camp: "As a member of Greens NSW (GNSW), I am determined to call out the neoliberal, market based 'solutions' that have failed us for many decades. I am a member of several GNSW policy development working groups that are tackling the inequity of the 'business as usual' politics being proffered by all the right of centre parties in Australia. If calling for social, environmental and economic justice and equity is being divisive, then I'm guilty as charged."