Sustainability and Environmental Impact

We constantly look for ways to limit our environmental impact and become as sustainable as possible.

Acknowledgement

Sustainability is, in our opinion, an over-utilised word. Every action we take and service we provide has an impact on our shared environment.

With that in mind, “Environmental Impact” is probably a better title for this page. That being said, given “Sustainability” is the reference term for communication on the subject, we have no choice but to use it as well in order to be referenced on the subject.

While it would be pretty easy for us to add stock pictures of trees, rivers and blue skies to this page to pretend we do our bit for the environment, we’ve taken the route of an open and transparent approach to our past/current and future initiatives.

This list is by no means complete or fool-proof, and this is where your feedback is precious as always. Feedback and suggestions are welcome and encouraged, please refer to the “Have your say” section at the bottom of the page.

Vehicles production and lifecycle

We only operates battery electric vehicles (BEV), which are 100% battery-powered (not hybrids). That being said, there are a lot of misconceptions on the actual environmental impact of said vehicles, especially during their production, operation and recycling phases. There is a lot of data available on the subject, all pointing to the same conclusion, however we’ve tried to extract some recent and localised knowledge on the subject below.

For context, these graphs outline the life-cycle emissions of an electric car versus a traditional petrol/diesel car. For both types of vehicles, emissions are generated during these key stages:

  • Manufacturing: emissions from sourcing and assembling the car's components.

  • Battery production: important for electric vehicles due to the energy-intensive processes involved.

  • Operation: emissions from fuel consumption or electricity use during the vehicle's lifetime.

  • End-of-Life: emissions from vehicle disposal and recycling, including the handling of batteries.

This comprehensive approach helps evaluate the environmental impact of each vehicle type more accurately.

Summary: even when accounting for battery manufacturing and recycling, BEV have less impact on the environment than an equivalent ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle after about 23,000 kms in Tasmania.

Source: ABC News

Vehicle charging

We are lucky enough to live in the only state in Australia that achieved “net-zero” almost a decade ago.

Net-zero refers to a balance where the amount of emissions produced is fully offset by an equivalent amount removed from the atmosphere. Tasmania achieved net-zero emissions in 2015, thanks to its extensive forests and natural landscapes, which absorb and store more carbon annually than the state generates.

We prioritise charging our vehicles at home using solar power whenever possible, but rely on the grid when necessary. Thankfully, as Tasmania’s electricity grid is predominantly powered by hydroelectricity and other renewable sources like wind, our environmental impact remains minimal even during those times.

Article: Tasmania achieves net zero (again)

Picture: “Paddock to Plate” - EVRide’s Tesla Model X charging at Waddamana hydro power station.

To see how power flows through the National Energy Market at any point in time, see OpenElectricity.

Vegan leather seats

Tesla stopped sourcing seats made of animal leather sometimes in 2017.

This means that all of our vehicles now leverage vegan leather.

Water bottles

As a Luxury Chauffeur Service we provide complimentary bottled water to our Clients.

To that end, and after extensive research, we have found small bottles that are made from 100% recycled plastic to start with and that can be re-used and recycled again after usage. The water itself is sourced from Australian springs and hasn’t traveled from Europe or elsewhere to get to our shores.

Furthermore, once Tasmania has a return and earn scheme in place in 2025, we plan on collecting the bottles left over by some of our Clients and return them ourselves instead of recycling them as we do currently.

Find out more: Nu-Pure sustainability

Emissions Reduction Commitment

We leverage carbonhalo (ex. ERC Australia) through the Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania to help us count and reduce carbon emissions.

Overall, most of our emissions are related to vehicle manufacturing and vehicle charging. You can review our account and reduction plan here.

Future thinking

Budget allowing, we have a couple of ideas to further reduce our carbon footprint and environmental impact:

  • Increase the solar array we currently leverage to charge vehicles when possible,

  • Increase the energy storage system size in order to further use stored energy to charge vehicles at night,

  • Potentially, purchase carbon credits from reputable sources (e.g. Tasmanian Land Conservancy) to offset what we’re unable to reduce.

Have your say

You have an idea to help us further reduce our emissions and limit our environmental impact? Please send your feedback and suggestions here: sustainability@evride.au

This page was last updated on 20 Nov 2024