Canberra public servants could be among the first in Australia to drive electric cars, with the ACT Government exploring the replacement of part of its car fleet with the new technology when it becomes available in 2012.
The ACT has already been earmarked by a United States company, Better Place, as the third city in the world where it will roll out electric vehicle infrastructure including recharge points and battery ''swap 'n' go'' terminals across the city. Construction is expected to start in 2011 with completion of a basic network within 12 months.
The ACT Government has got behind Better Place's plan, offering planning and regulatory assistance, but Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said the Government wanted to make a stronger commitment to the green technology.
He said he would ask ACT Environment Minister Simon Corbell to explore the option of replacing a percentage of the public service car fleet with electric cars once they became available.
Mr Stanhope said he had been inspired by a visit to London last month while on a trade mission to Britain and the United Arab Emirates.
He saw councils in London were getting behind electric cars and the ACT should too.
''This is what London's done and we can do it as well. Just say, by 2012 we'd be prepared to commit to 100 electric vehicles, and 500 by 2013.''
Better Place's roll-out of the infrastructure will start in Copenhagen, Jerusalem and Canberra, and the rest of Australia will follow.
It says the electricity will be obtained only from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power, through ActewAGL in Canberra and AGL around the rest of the country.
For more details on this story, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times.
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