That’s the view of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association’s Peter Gorton who will be among the guest speakers at a Border transport forum next month.

“Once we have national policy the manufacturers will start bringing vehicles in, infrastructure will start being built and consumers will find driving an electric vehicle is not only nice it’s a third of the cost of driving a vehicle on diesel or petrol,” Mr Gorton said.

“We’re very restricted in this country because I believe there’s not an interest being shown at federal government level and not much at state government level to get the electric vehicle revolution going.

“The other issue is that the small number of vehicles you can buy are very expensive because dealerships are unprepared to gear up to only service one vehicle a year.”

Mr Gorton, an ex-Wodonga resident who lives near Merimbula, believes the arrival of an all-electric Hyundai in Australia later this year will be a “game-changer” because its price will appeal to more people than like models such as Teslas.

He also points to motoring organisation NRMA’s plan to launch 40 rapid charge points across NSW as a boost.

Unlike the Tesla units, which include a point in Wodonga, the NRMA stations will be accessible to all electric vehicles with recharging taking an average 30 minutes.

An NRMA spokeswoman confirmed plans for a rollout but could not say when a unit might be installed in Albury.

Mr Gorton noted the average petrol-powered four-cylinder car had 2000 parts compared to 20 parts in an electric vehicle, which does not have a gearbox, radiator, exhaust or alternator.

“A service with an electric vehicle involves topping up the windscreen wiper washer fluid, checking the brake fluid and pumping up the tyres,” he said.

Mr Gorton is one of five guest speakers scheduled to speak at a Future of Transport Forum organised by the Sustainable Activity Centre and Albury Greens for August 2 at Albury’s Bended Elbow hotel.

Others on the panel will be member for Indi Cathy McGowan, NSW Greens transport spokeswoman Mehreen Faruqi, the Border Rail Action Group’s Dennis Toohey and a representative of Albury Wodonga Pedal Power.

It follows a similar forum hosted by SAC manager Claire Greenhalgh in May last year which attracted only a “handful of people”.

She believes the new event will be more successful because specific invites had gone to industry figures such as fleet managers, car dealers and bicycle businesses.