Lithgow City Council recently took another step to ready the city for the future when it endorsed an Electric Vehicle Strategy. The strategy, which is leading edge for a small regional council, was developed by community-based group, the Lithgow Community Power Project. It provides guidance on how the council can plan to support the public's rapid take-up of electric vehicles.
Transport is undergoing a big change. This is being pushed by motorists looking for alternatives to combustion engines, because of the cost of fuel and an increasing awareness of the impacts on the environment. Governments, manufacturers and technology companies are all working to move the automotive industry towards an electric and automated future.
Lithgow City Council's Mayor, Councillor Maree Statham said, "Lithgow must prepare for this low-emission future. This strategy recognises the economic benefits of innovation and applies thinking and standards adopted by our European peers."
Mayor Statham added, "This strategy document is grounded in its authorship by local experts. By linking destination charging concepts to upcoming projects like Gardens of Stone and the Great Western Highway upgrade, we hope to pull more people from the highway and into the city's businesses.
Mayor Statham added, "We need to get our head around the fact that, increasingly, people will need to move around this city in electric vehicles. While the Lithgow city centre might pilot the program and host the first suite of chargers, we are also seeking discussion and support of local Progress Associations to upgrade infrastructure and attract visitors to the villages and valleys."
Lithgow's EV strategy can be downloaded from Council's website, at https://council.lithgow.com/download/121616/?tmstv=1677128836
