EV drivers have been delighted to see Creswick’s 50kW fast charge station is finally back online.

CCTV surveillance equipment to protect the public Chargefox charge station was installed last month after the new and much anticipated charge point was taken offline after it was vandalised last August.

In recent days the station was reactivated and was quickly pressed into use by EV drivers keen to get a top-up charge. Its repair and re-activation was swiftly publicised on the online PlugShare platform from January 17.

With an ever-increasing number of motorists planning to make their next vehicle purchase an EV, first-hand experience of owning and using an electric vehicle is now set to be the focus of discussion by a knowledgeable panel of speakers at the free community ‘Green Drinks’ event happening Thursday, February 15 at Ballarat’s Bunch of Grapes Hotel.

Set to start from 6.30pm and the first talk for Green Drinks in 2024, the panel discussion will be led by BREAZE (Ballarat Renewable Energy and Zero Emissions) president Campbell Mercer with four local EV owners sharing their experiences.

The panel will include: Gavin Cerini – BYD Atto 3; Paul Duggan -Tesla 3; Merle Hathaway – Mini EV; and Pat Hockey – Nissan Leaf.

The free community discussion is timed to lead into Buninyong’s Smart Living Expo on Sunday, February 25 from 10am to 3.30pm at Royal Park, Buninyong.

In 2023 Campbell Mercer coordinated the Good Car Company’s Show & Shine event in Ballarat, offering locals a chance to check out and test drive a range of second-hand EVs.

The number of new EV sales doubled in Australia over the past year, which means there will be more second-hand EVs coming on-stream, making the transition more affordable, organisers of the upcoming Green Drinks event say.

They say those who are keen to learn more about EVs are welcome to attend with questions ready to put to the panel on Thursday, February 15. Tickets: TryBooking

Words & Image: Eve Lamb

First-hand experience of owning and using an electric vehicle will be the focus of discussion by a knowledgeable panel of speakers at the free community ‘Green Drinks’ event coming up Thursday, February 15 at Ballarat’s Bunch of Grapes Hotel.

Set to get started from 6.30pm, the first talk for Green Drinks in 2024 will be a panel discussion led by BREAZE (Ballarat Renewable Energy and Zero Emissions) President, Campbell Mercer, with four local EV owners.

The panel will include: Gavin Cerini – BYD Atto 3; Paul Duggan -Tesla 3; Merle Hathaway – Mini EV; and Pat Hockey – Nissan Leaf.

The free community discussion is timed to lead into Buninyong’s Smart Living Expo on Sunday 25 February 10 am – 3:30 pm at Royal Park Buninyong, which also features local EV owners. 

In 2023 Campbell coordinated the Good Car Company’s Show & Shine event in Ballarat, which gave locals a chance to check out and test drive a range of second hand EVs.

The number of new EV sales doubled in Australia over the last year, which means there will be more second hand EVs coming on-stream, making the transition more affordable, organisers of the upcoming Green Drinks event say.

They say those who are interested are welcome to get along with questions to put to the panel on Thursday 15th February and take the opportunity to find out what owning an EV is like at first hand.

The Green Drinks event happens 6.30pm-8pm at the Bunch of Grapes Hotel in Pleasant Street, Ballarat. It is a freebook event through TryBooking online.

Which is better – gas or induction? It’s a question an increasing number of householders looking to upgrade a tired old kitchen find themselves asking.

Tomorrow a special event being hosted by BREAZE (Ballarat Renewable Energy And Zero Emissions) in Ballarat aims to provide some answers.

Backed by funding from the City of Ballarat, the Smart Living Ballarat November session takes place tomorrow Wednesday November 22 from 12:30-1:30pm at Barkly Square kitchen, next to Tegan Crosbie’s Workshoppery at 25-39 Barkly St, Ballarat East.

“For years we’ve heard (from the gas industry!) that gas stovetops are the best option – quicker, cheaper, more precise. But are they?” a BREAZE spokeswoman says.

She says tomorrow’s demo aims to allow househlders to see and decide for themselves. Those who attend will get to hear about the dangers of cooking with gas, and to learn more about the reasons to consider switching to an induction cooktop.

Tomorrow’s session will be focused on renter and budget friendly, cheap and accessible plug-in induction cooktops. This is a free session, all welcome but due to capacity limits of the kitchen you must register for a free ticket here.

This session will complement Ballarat’s Green Drinks this month, where Sue Broadway and Ian Rossiter will be speaking about built-in induction cooktops and the science behind how induction works.

Smart Living Ballarat is a free monthly workshop, hosted by Ellen Burns and sponsored by the City of Ballarat and BREAZE.