An import agent buying second-hand vehicles from Japan has identified Canberra as "the potential electric vehicle capital of Australia".
The Tasmanian-based Good Car Company says it is using a "bulk buy" strategy to "trim margins" and pass those savings on to its customers.
"We tend to look at savings of around $1500 on a like-for-like vehicle before you deal with any auction savings on FOB [Freight On Board pricing]," the company's managing director Anton Vikstrom said.
"We're trying to give the benefit of all our experience and support in delivering cars."
To date it has sold 67 cars through its bulk buy strategy to customers in Victoria and Tasmania.
As an import agent which doesn't have a direct retail presence in the ACT, the Good Car Company is not required to have an ACT motor traders' licence. The customer owns the car from purchase, and warranty, service and parts support is provided by CWC Auto Services in Ainslie.
Mr Vikstrom said that the company has a vetting process in place which identifies the best quality electric vehicles on auction, and offers a 6-month non-statutory warranty, battery degradation warranty and a 30-day buy-back policy.
In late February, ACT Emissions Reduction Minister Shane Rattenbury clarified the government's position on incentives offered to electric vehicles owners by including second-hand electric vehicles in the new "sustainable household" scheme.
This means that used electric vehicles are grouped within the $150 million scheme in which interest free loans of up to $15,000 are available to households to purchase solar panels, batteries, efficient electric appliances, and zero emission vehicles.
New owners of second-hand electric vehicles in the ACT will also pay nothing to register their cars, bought in the territory, for two years.
"Including second-hand electric vehicles helps ensure it's not just people who can afford a brand new car who benefit from government incentives," Mr Rattenbury said.
"It's an important equity issue, and it helps bring the cheaper running costs of EVs to more people, as well as improving air quality for everyone.
"The infrastructure you need to charge an EV at home can put people off getting their own EV, so we're pleased to be making these upgrades eligible for interest-free loans, too."
The Good Car Company had been in Canberra recently to promote its community "bulk sell" program which it says is "a social enterprise created to de-carbonise transport".
It claims to "provide quality, affordable electric vehicles to assist in an equitable transition to low emissions transport".
It claimed in a social media post that Canberra delivered a "record-smashing" bulk-buy launch on February 25, with over 300 people attending. It is planning another information session on March 11.
Partnering with the The Good Car Company is volunteer organisation See-Change Canberra, which says that it is happy to support this interstate private enterprise "after we have made assurances that their goals fit with our mission to enable greater sustainability in Canberra and the region".
"We often pass on financial benefits to our members in exchange for promotion," executive officer Brook Clinton said.
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