Salvos trial first electric vehicle
Salvos trial first electric vehicle
26 April 2022
Gawler Corps Officer Darren Dwyer says the local community sees The Salvation Army as being proactive and responsive to the climate crisis with its trial of an electric vehicle.
In October last year, The Salvation Army procured its first electric vehicle (EV) to trial a transition to renewable fleet. Partnering with AGL as part of their Innovation Fund, the Gawler Corps in South Australia was provided a charger with smart configuring capabilities that allows The Salvation Army to build data on charging times and work out the feasibility of 100 per cent renewable energy powering a vehicle for one of our Salvo officers.
How does it work?
Devices are becoming increasingly intelligent; a vehicle charger can now talk to a metering device to see if the building is generating more solar than it is using and exporting the excess. If we can see when we are exporting solar, we can tell devices to automatically turn on to use some of this generated energy. We capitalise on the value gap between grid costs and solar export costs.
What does it cost?
EVs cost more upfront than internal combustion engines (ICE). So how can we see economic parity? With the cost of fuel sitting at record highs, and the cost of self-produced electricity falling, there are financial and environmental benefits in using our excess solar production to power EVs.
For example, in a standard Kia Sportage, fuel consumption is 7l per 100km. Therefore, travelling 450km costs around $53 at current average petrol prices of $1.70. In comparison, a Kia E-Niro EV charged using only solar excess costs only $4 for a full charge to travel 450km, or $16 if charged using the grid.
In short, EVs save money in fuel and maintenance, and have a positive environmental impact – but it can take an extended period to pay back the upfront cost. Overall benefits begin to stack up in the long term, and also when the overall environmental impact is considered.
Q&A with Major Darren Dwyer, Gawler Corps officer
How has EV ownership changed the way you use your vehicle?
DD: We are a little more careful to plan our travel, noting when we need to make longer journeys and ensuring we have appropriate levels of charge. Overall, there is not much significant change, just a bit of forward planning.
Did you have any concerns and, if so, how have these been overcome?
DD: We had concerns over charger network coverage and our ability to do longer journeys. However, we soon found that with a little planning this was quite easily overcome. In fact, a month after having the car I drove to Wagga Wagga from Gawler to conduct a wedding (a round trip of approximately 1850 km), with no issues. There are appropriately located fast charging points along the way and charging every three hours or so gave me time to rest and eat along the way. As the charging points were all free, I did this entire trip with no fuel cost and no emissions.
Daytime charging is the most cost-effective way to charge the vehicle due to the substantial solar system at Gawler Corps. Have you had any trouble managing this?
DD: Not at all. We have a simple system where an RFID tag unlocks the charger, then I plug the car in and leave it while I work in the office. It really couldn’t be simpler and cheaper.
Have you seen a positive social impact for yourself and for the Corps?
DD: Yes, it has certainly opened some interesting conversations as people see the car and see the link to the Corps. We think we are only one of three EVs in the town of Gawler, so we are being seen as very proactive and responsive to the climate crisis, which I definitely think the church needs to be a frontline leader on.
I have also noticed a subtle admiration of The Salvation Army for being innovative, ahead of the curve, and willing to make some difficult decisions to accelerate social change and respond to a global social justice issue. I can also categorically say that I am now considered the coolest parent amongst my children’s friends! A cool Salvation Army officer – who’d have thought!
I have even had encounters head into spiritual territory as I have talked about our desire to be good stewards of creation and its finite resources. I strongly believe that there is a missional imperative in adopting an emission-free approach to our transport and power needs. If we want to reach the hearts and minds of the upcoming generations with the Gospel, we are going to have to demonstrate a clear and consistent message on how we are responding to climate change. Why would they listen to any organisation or individual who is not addressing the anxiety of the age?
Ask any young person what concerns them most and I guarantee the vast majority will answer they are anxious and perplexed about the future of the climate and their own futures in a depleted environment. Adopting these simple and achievable measures gives us an obvious and credible way to say, “We understand, and we are doing something about it; we are not sitting on our hands hoping it all might go away.”
I believe you win the hearts of the younger generation through authentic action.
New IPCC Report released
A report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has announced that there is only a 30-month window of opportunity for emission reduction if we are to keep global warming under 1.5 degrees and avoid the worst impacts of climate change. This requires immediate and intense emissions reduction worldwide. The IPCC highlights the role of renewable energy, ecological preservation and restoration, carbon capture and storage technology, and lifestyle changes to limit and reduce CO2 emissions in the atmosphere and reach net zero emissions by 2050.
For a summary of the IPCC Mitigation of Climate Change report, click here.
To view the full report (or the summary for policy makers), click here.
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