The famous de-clutter expert Marie Kondo holds that you should look at all your things and consider them one at a time. If it gives you joy, keep it; if not, chuck it.
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My old VW beetle gave me a lot of joy because it was just the right size and shape for a small person like me; and it reminded me of my parents’ heroic journey across the unsealed Nullarbor Plain in the late 1960s.
Having started the journey in Brisbane, this legendary vehicle floated serenely across a giant wash out and arrived in Perth a day or so later, battered but not beaten.
The problem with my vintage VW was that in the end it didn’t go, and spent its last few years in the back yard with the grass growing through it. So while it still gave me joy, I said goodbye.
Now, with the world-wide enthusiasm for converted electric VW beetles (just Google these words to see what’s going on), I’m starting to regret my decision to sell.
There are conversion kits and businesses dedicated to getting the job done. If only I’d kept it! Sadly, this frenzy of conversion has barely reached our own shores.
Australia is lagging well behind when it comes to electric vehicles, and conversions are mainly carried out by tinkering members of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association in their own backyards. So my dream of an electric beetle might have to stay on hold for now.
But the tide is turning, as we saw locally this week with Bathurst Regional Council is deep in negotiations to install an electric vehicle charging station on one of its own properties.
Fully electric vehicles like the Tesla and the Nissan Leaf are starting to appear among the traffic, and they’re looking for spots to charge up.
We’re on the cusp of something here; positioning ourselves for the changes ahead will serve us well.
Meanwhile, energy storage will be added to a third wind farm in South Australia and there is a proposal to use solar plus storage to power the Whyalla steelworks.
Renewables are now stepping up to the challenge of providing energy for heavy industry.
We may be having a rocky transition, but the future is definitely electric, powered by renewable energy.