Moved by Councillor Scott, seconded by
Councillor Ellsmore –
It is resolved that:
(A) Council note:
(i)
currently,
within the City of Sydney, there are over 100 publicly available electric
vehicle (EV) charging plugs;
(ii)
many
City of Sydney residents have identified that despite the positive impacts that
transitioning to EVs would have on the environment within the City of Sydney,
available public charging stations to support this transition are lacking;
(iii)
the new
Federal Government has announced the ‘Driving the Nation’ policy designed to
reduce transportation emissions by making EVs more affordable and easier to
charge, signalling new Federal Government investment to establish more EV charging
stations;
(iv)
the NSW
Government has also announced the investment in ultrafast EV charging station
infrastructure. However, the investment in infrastructure relies upon site
owners hosting public EV fast-charging facilities;
(v)
currently,
for example, Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Newtown, Potts Point and
Elizabeth Bay do not have any electric charging station facilities. Areas
without charging sites may be targeted for the installation of the appropriate
infrastructure to support the transition to EVs in alignment with the
intensions of the Federal and State Governments to commit to action on climate
change;
(vi) the City of Sydney was one of the first
organisations to convert its fleet of vehicles to hybrid and electric;
(vii) the City of Sydney is developing an EV
strategy that will identify actions the City can take to support the provision
of publicly available EV charging stations;
(viii) though publicly available EV charging stations
play an important role in encouraging people to switch from conventional to
electric cars, the greatest reduction in transport emissions comes from
encouraging a shift from cars to walking, cycling and public transport,
particularly in cities where demand for public space is highest; and
(B)
while
developing the City’s EV strategy, the Chief Executive Officer be requested to
consider:
(i)
identifying
City of Sydney-owned sites appropriate for installing EV charging stations by
the end of the current term of Council;
(ii)
identifying
City of Sydney-owned sites for EV charging stations on a needs basis, targeting
areas outside of the current selection of charging stations to ensure all City
of Sydney Local Government Area residents and businesses have equitable access
to such charging stations; and
(iii) the City of Sydney’s commitment to climate
change and net zero emissions by 2035.
Carried unanimously, as
part of an in globo motion.
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