MEDIA RELEASE - 29 SEPTEMBER 2010

Upon a unanimous vote, Deputy Lord Mayor Chiang Lim gets Parramatta’s nod to begin dialogue with electric vehicle infrastructure providers for Western Sydney and New South Wales.

“We’re not talking about hybrids that still rely on petrol. The electric car is the future. They are inevitable and production electric vehicles have already begun to arrive on Australian shores.  NSW needs to work quickly to prepare for the mass adoption of electric vehicles. We need to collaborate with electric vehicle infrastructure providers to solve questions such as: Where and how do we re-charge them? How will our homes and workplaces be built or retrofitted to be electric car ready? How and where will we re-charge them while we’re on the road?” said Clr Lim.

The first of a series of presentations will be with Better Place Australia, arguably the world’s largest electric vehicle infrastructure and services provider. Better Place Australia will be deploying its infrastructure network nationally; starting in Canberra in late 2011. The planning policies and regulations for electric vehicle infrastructure are currently underdeveloped in NSW, and Parramatta is looking forward to working with Better Place Australia and other electric vehicle infrastructure providers in order to help define the framework that works for NSW.

And as the de facto capital of Western Sydney, Parramatta will also invite Better Place Australia to introduce and present electric vehicle infrastructure technology and operations to the Western Sydney Region of Councils (WSROC). It is hoped that fruitful discussions with Western Sydney local governments will bring about a collection of planning reforms to the NSW Government for the benefit of the whole of New South Wales, with potential harmonisation with the rest of Australia. The wisdom gained from Australia is anticipated to be useful for the rest of the world.

“We are overtly showing regional leadership in Australia’s car and electricity infrastructure industries. But we are also demonstrating the Australian can-do attitude. Battery technology, electric vehicles, electricity infrastructure, planning reform, smart car and smart grid software and technology development – these are all what Australians can excel in for the Australian and global markets. I’m looking forward to the future,” said Deputy Lord Mayor Chiang Lim.

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For any further information, please contact Deputy Lord Mayor Clr Chiang Lim,
Parramatta City Council on 0427 277 299 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it