Canberra EV Media Release - ACT Launch of Blade Electron 18 August 2010

Canberra EV welcomes the first commercially produced Australian plug-in electric vehicle to be registered for use in the ACT. The vehicle – a Blade Electron – is owned by Canberra EV member Haydn Lowe, a director of local IT business systems company Wollemi Systems.

Canberra EV President Julia McDonald said today “The Australian-produced Blade Electron will be one of the feature exhibits of the 2010 Canberra Electric Vehicle Festival, to be held on Saturday 18 September on the lawns of Old Parliament House (opposite Questacon). People attending the festival will be able to ride in the Blade Electron and experience the quiet, smooth and efficient performance of electric vehicles”.

The 2010 Canberra Electric Vehicle Festival is a joint initiative of Canberra EV and the ACT Electric Vehicle Council.

"The very high energy efficiency of electric vehicles means that just one of the Lake George wind turbines can supply the renewable energy required to operate 4,000 electric cars like the Blade Electron operating over a typical annual urban cycle of 10,000 kilometres”, Ms McDonald said.

The Blade Electron is produced by Blade Electric Vehicles (BEV) in Castlemaine, Victoria.

Based on a Hyundai Getz platform, the Electron is fitted with a BEV-designed electric drivetrain that features the use of lightweight lithium ferrous phosphate (LFP) batteries.

Following successful crash testing in late 2009, BEV received official approval from the DOTARS Administrator of Vehicle Standards to produce up to 100 Electron cars per year.

ENDS

Canberra EV is the ACT branch of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA).

For more information about Canberra EV go to: www.canberraev.org

For interviews regarding Canberra EV contact Ms Julia McDonald on 0407 060 981 or at president@canberraev.org.

For more information about the Blade Electron go to www.bev.com.au.