Council started its transition to electric vehicles in 2018 with the purchase of a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), which was a Mitsubishi Outlander.

Director of Environmental, Planning and Building Services Neil Southorn said that council is assessing the suitability of electric vehicles, being careful before bolster its fleet with them.

"Council is taking a precautionary approach to the introduction of electric vehicles," he said.

"This is a pilot program to assess the suitability of electric vehicles to council's operations, to understand the types of vehicles which are available, to ascertain their economic viability and prove local servicing capability before embarking on a more rapid adoption."

The tally of electric vehicles in council's fleet remains at one three years after the Outlander was purchased, but that number will soon grow.

"Council has placed an order for one battery electric vehicle (BEV) to be used as a pool vehicle," Mr Southorn said.

"This will allow a wide range of staff to experience driving a full BEV and assist council in learning how best to charge and service the vehicle."

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Council staff have already had a positive experience with the Outlander, which has a combined (petrol/electric) range of around 600 kilometres.

Mr Southorn said the vehicle has primarily been used for cross-town trips.

"It has also been used by a range of staff to test the functionality and there have been no issues identified with staff generally commenting on how the electric vehicles is more pleasant to drive," he said.

In addition to growing its fleet, council is also rolling out more charging points.

A public destination charge station will be installed at the National Motor Racing Museum this month, and council is also seeking to partner with other providers to bring ultra-fast charging to Bathurst.

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