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The big lap: Electric car road trips turn fuel dollars into tourism dollars

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The Driven

Over the past 7 weeks Robin, our youngest son and I have travelled around Australia’s coastal roads in an electric vehicle, driving the route many like to call “the big lap” -just over 19,000kms in total, all 6 states, 2 territories and 8 capital cities.

This is now the tenth EV to circumnavigate Australia (see full list below).

By preparing correctly and respecting the freely available advice given from other well-traveled EV owners on all sides of the country, our trip was smooth and trouble free. We set out for an enjoyable holiday and we got exactly that.

Keep in mind an EV holiday doesn’t require DC fast charging at every stop – fast chargers will one day be widespread and convenient, but the lack of them now across the north of the country should not spoil your plans.

For those who say such a trip requires an expensive Tesla Model X or S, this same journey is not beyond a lower cost standard range Model 3 or Hyundai Kona.

With the inevitable arrival of a larger selection of electric vehicles to Australia in 2020 and beyond, the number of EVs making this journey will increase rapidly.

To read the full story on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven, click here…

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