“I didn’t know much about electric vehicles. Now these 5 things about them are making it my next car.”

One thing they don’t warn you about when you become a parent of a teen is that they keep you accountable.     

Suddenly, you have this person calling you out on things.          

Mum, the sign says you can’t park here.

Mum, that bottle goes in the recycling.

Mum, you should have seen that I left the milk out overnight!

One thing my teen, Winston, is hot on at the moment is sustainability – you know, this generation doing its best for the globe so that the next generation doesn’t inherit our mess.

Basically – not depleting our planet to the point of no return.

To be honest, I do feel the pressure. Not just the responsibility for my son and his kids and my great-grandkids… but also, Winston’s judgement.

I need to show my son that I cared about my carbon footprint (environmental impact) on the planet.

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Take, for example, my car. Until a few years ago, I’ve had cars of various sizes, and one of them I would definitely consider now to be way bigger than I needed. To my credit, I’ve down-sized and made more careful selections, buying a small hatchback that suits my needs, and so a significantly reduced impact on the environment.

But I regret not looking more into electric vehicles (EVs) sooner as a car owner, to be honest. They’re the most environmental option for a car on the road. For a 14-year-old, Winston is impressively across them, and jumps on any chance to tell me about them (which funnily, works to keep my mind open about their new technologies.)

They’re now becoming more popular than ever in Australia I'm learning – to the point where in the past twelve months have seen a spike in EV sales, even despite the global pandemic. 

The NSW Government has now also introduced an EV strategy backed by an almost $500m investment (yes, that means rebates!). Earlier this year, Victoria also introduced a rebate and South Australia looks set to introduce something similar in the near future. Other states have (or will) remove stamp duty from the sale of EVs, thankfully removing even more barriers to entry.

Doing some research from the Electric Vehicle Council’s 2021 report, I found these fascinating fast facts I feel like more parents should know, if they're thinking about one potentially as a future car purchase of their own:

There's been over 8,600 electric vehicles sold in Australia in the first half of 2021. This is a 25 per cent increase on the number of electric vehicles sold for the entire of 2020.

Woah, that's an impressive jump. EVs are very much becoming the way of the world.

Next: a car manufacturer’s commitment to the sustainable EV is called ‘electrification’. The more you know, right?

Take BMW Group, for example. 

Its commitment to electrification includes climate neutrality, emission-free mobility, and reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the manufacturing process and supply chain. BMW Group also implemented its own high recycling and waste treatment standards, contracting 100 per cent green energy with its suppliers, and supplying its sites with 100 per cent electricity from renewable resources.

It’s basically a 180 degree turn on the cars we all grew up with.

From what I'm seeing, BMW Group is also keen on educating people about EVs so that the consumer is more open to different technologies. It's doing this by introducing the “Power of Choice” concept, which teaches how luxury and an exceptional driving experience isn’t mutually exclusive with sustainability; there’s not just one solution that can meet all customers’ mobility needs around the world.

This is why BMW Group aims to offer us plenty of models to choose from – like its renowned combustion engine models, and growing line-up of plug-in hybrid and fully electric models. 

In fact, BMW Group’s first-ever MINI fully electric vehicle went on sale in July last year and sold out within two months. The BMW X3 will be the first vehicle range that offers all three drivetrains – and will be launched in the iX3 variant later this year.

I'll be eyeing this off.

Other things I learned in my research: there are now over 3,000 public chargers installed in around 1,650 locations across Australia – and will grow by demand. And for those living regionally and even rurally, it's becoming a lot more accessible to those Australian communities as the way we live and travel adapts (not just for metro folk, like myself and Winston in Sydney). 

So concerns with "range anxiety" (a phrase I've heard lately on the worry about running out of charge) is currently much less than you’d imagine, and will thankfully only continue to improve.

Also, Australians right now have access to 31 passenger electric vehicle models from 12 carmakers right now – and forecasts actually suggest 27 electric vehicle models will enter the market by the end of next year. 

Let that sink in for a moment. It's taken us this long to reach the 31 EVs milestone... and this number will almost double within 12 months. That's remarkable, and speaks volumes about how our mobility in the future is so multifaceted. 

There isn't just one solution that can meet all customers’ mobility needs across Australia, let alone globally.

So there’s certainly plenty of choice in fully electric or hybrid vehicles.

And lastly, because of fewer moving parts in the process of running an electric vehicle, EVs are interestingly less maintenance (I don't think I would have guessed this at all) – which is a major cost-saving incentive.

This definitely makes the EV an even more attractive option for my next car purchase.

You must admit, it’s a pretty impressive list. It’s definitely influenced me to make my next car an EV. Since my huge car days are long behind me, an EV as the next step just makes sense.

And I want to show my son that I did everything I could to reduce my carbon footprint care about the planet’s future. His future.

The BMW Group is setting new benchmarks in the automotive industry. Explore its sustainability efforts here.

Feature Image: Supplied/Instagram @namawinston