The 100% electric electrician
We founded This is Electric to tackle climate change.
This means that reducing emissions and protecting our environment is a huge part of our business model.
And we love finding opportunities to participate in the transition to renewable energy, and be part of the solution.
So... we have just purchased a little second-hand electric van!
We are so excited to be delivering our impactful electrical services around nipaluna / Hobart in this little van.
Get in touch if you want a 100% solar powered electrician to help you to get off gas and fossil fuels in your home, business or community. 🌷⚡️🌈
Phil the electric electrician standing in front of This is Electric’s new second-hand electric tradie van!
Why an electric tradie van?
Electric vehicles (EVs) are going to play a big role in our collective transition away from fossil fuels.
This is because passenger cars and light commercial vehicles make up around 60% of our transport emissions and over 10% of Australia’s total emissions .
Without intervention, the transport sector is projected to be Australia’s largest source of emissions by 2030.
Luckily, sales of EVs in Australia are growing.
Very good news for the planet.
But...
As a social enterprise, we believe that the transition to electric transport and renewable energy must be fair, equitable and inclusive.
Not just rapid.
Barriers preventing equitable access to renewable energy technology slow down our local and global efforts to reduce emissions.
Who is the average EV owner?
Take a guess.
The average Australian EV owner is....male, approaching middle age, with high income and education, homeowner, living in family households, with multiple vehicles 🫠
This is not a dig at EV owners that might fit this mould. We need thousands and probably millions more of you.
We also need so many more of all the other people too.
What about women, young people, older people, people with disability, tenants, single people, people with lower income or limited education?
We’ve been thinking about this a lot recently.
What can we all do?
As a starting point, we can use public and active transport wherever possible.
This is the most effective and rapid way to reduce our transport emissions.
But this type of transport isn’t available or accessible to everyone.
If governments, businesses and households that need a car and can afford to replace a petrol or diesel car with an EV do so asap, this will support the second-hand EV market which will make EVs more affordable over the long term in our communities.
Our friends at Good Car Co (another Tassie based social enterprise) are doing amazing work fast-tracking affordability by importing and delivering second hand EVs into Australia (you can check out their online second hand car marketplace by clicking on the image of EV legends below!)
Good Car co’s pic of EV legends - click the image and it will take it to their online second hand car market place
What about charging EVs?
We’ve also been dreaming up some ideas for a decentralised, open and community centred model for public EV charging.
Our vision is an extensive network of simple, reliable, affordable and accessible public EV chargers in all our local communities.
Even the remote and regional ones.
Supporting local businesses and the tourism industry.
If this network exists, EV owners will no longer need to feel range anxiety.
And people can purchase more affordable EVs with smaller batteries (and therefore a smaller range), because public charging options will be everywhere.
The beginning...
These are some of our ideas so far.
Let us know if you can think of anything else or want to work or collaborate with us!
And if you know a great community group, small business or school who might want to be involved in an exciting pilot community centred EV charging project, please get in touch!