By Celia Whelan

SALES of EVs are surging, thanks to the fuel shortage resulting from war in the Middle East.

Battery electric vehicles accounted for a record 15.4% of new light vehicle sales in Victoria in March 2026, 86 per cent higher than a year earlier.

If you’ve been curious about EVs but aren’t sure where to start, Totally Renewable Phillip Island (TRPI) is hosting a free community information session at the Phillip Island RSL on Saturday - and it’s nothing like visiting a car dealership.

By Alice Anderson
 
ENVIRONMENTAL challenges can often feel overwhelming. The Bass Coast Sustainability Festival is about making big ideas feel simple, practical and fun.
 
At its heart, the festival is a family-friendly celebration of community, creativity and caring for our environment. It’s designed for curious minds, whether you’re already living sustainably or just starting to ask a few questions about how you can do things a little differently.

UP TO 60 Rhyll households will have their electric hot water systems switched from night-time to daytime operation in a trial that could set a model for renewable energy communities.

The change, from March 1 next year, is designed to make better use of the region’s abundant solar energy by heating water during peak generation hours, between 9am and 3pm. The existing early-morning boost period from 4am to 6am will remain in place.
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The trial will be run by Totally Renewable Phillip Island (TRPI) in partnership with AusNet to tackle a growing challenge for renewable energy communities: how to use surplus solar power rather than wasting it.

By Werner Theinert
 
WE’VE done it!  We’ve electrified everything!  Every box on the sign has been ticked! 

The Nissan Leaf (62kWh battery) has over 70,000kms on the clock and the BYD Seal (82.5kWh battery) which arrived in April last year, now has 20,000kms on the clock.  The BYD Seal is a truly amazing car. Range anxiety is now a thing of the past with its claimed 600-650km range probably more like 500-550km.  This “range anxiety” has been further reduced by the slow but continuing installation of additional EV Charging stations throughout the region.

By Greg Johnson

MANY Phillip Islanders are worried about our council’s latest plan for tourism. In a radical move by our council to attract bigger spending “high end” tourists, most rural land on the island would be opened for uses including luxury resorts.

Where is the future for farming in all this, and how will the land and environment be protected? 

​When the Bass Coast Unlocking Rural Tourism Strategy (BURT) was first aired in 2022 it received plenty of objections. Councillors approved it in March 2023 after advisers’ assurances about environmental protections. However, I doubt that these assurances hold up, or that the strategy is in the best interests of Phillip Island.

By Catherine Watson
 
WHAT’S your favourite tree? The gorgeous old eucalypt on Townsend Bluff is a favourite of many. For others it’s the Churchill Island moonahs.
 
Now here’s an opportunity to ensure recognition and protection of the trees you love. Having established a register for Phillip Island’s significant trees several years ago, the council has widened the register to include the whole shire.
 
Inverloch’s a hot spot for trees, of course, and several coast manna gums near the town centre on the register.​

By Ian Pascoe
 
IF YOU go down to the woods today, you’ll only see a fraction of the organisms that live there. You will probably fail to see the really little things. You might see mushrooms and mosses and lichens and beetles and ants and flies and other things that you are already familiar with. But I’m talking about the really little things, some of which you will never have heard of.
 
Let me tell you about Tryssglobulus aspergilloides. You’re unlikely to know about this tiny fungus, because only two specimens have ever been collected and one of them was found in the Western Port Woodlands!