Dubbo City Council in central NSW has purchased a new Holden Volt plug-in hybrid or ‘long-range’ electric vehicle for its mayor, Mathew Dickerson.
“Sometimes the purchasing equation is more than whole-of-life costs, this is one such case,” said Dubbo City Council's fleet manager, Steve Colliver.
“The traditional evaluation tool of purchase price, operation cost and disposal cost make way for a community statement in leadership with the choice of the Holden Volt as the Official Vehicle for the office of the Mayor,” he said.
Dickerson first replaced his thirsty V8 Holden Statesman with hybrid pioneer the Toyota Camry back in 2012, and this September went a step further obtaining the new Holden Volt – the first vehicle of its kind in Australia, launched here in 2013.
Dubbed by Holden as a ‘long-range electric vehicle’, the Volt runs on battery power with a range of more than 80km, while a back-up 40L petrol generator increases that range by 500km.
“I'm going to set myself a challenge to see for how long I can drive this car without having to use the petrol generator,” Dickerson told local Dubbo newspaper, The Daily Liberal.
Dickerson charges the car using a 10amp power outlet at his home overnight, and is investigating off-peak options to further save on running costs. As it stands, his fuel costs are down from $26 a day in the V8 Statesman to a mere $1.50 a day in electricity costs for his primarily city-based travel.
Dickerson says he also sees the acquisition of the Volt as an opportunity to inspire other businesses in the city who need to travel short distances as part of their work.
In the picture: Dubbo City Council Mayor Mathew Dickerson with his new official mayoral vehicle, a Holden Volt. Credit: Belinda Soole / The Daily Liberal