Why Illawarra motorists don't want to buy an electric vehicle, yet

It was the second EV Open Day run by sustainability advocates Electrify 2515 with more than double the number of attendees than their first one a year ago, according to coordinator Kristen MacDonald.

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Hundreds of people perused e-bikes and 16 electric cars with their hoods up from brands MG, Hyundai, Kia, Polestar, GWM, BYD, and Volvo - many supplied by owners themselves like Carmel Schenke and Tony Weir.

After their 17-year-old Subaru Outback began to "die", the Stanwell Park couple bought their first EV in April with the prerequisite "it must fit our German Shepherd in the boot".

A new car was a must, but like others, they were concerned of the advancement of technology so opted for a four-year lease arrangement to dip their toes in.

A Volvo XC40 Pure Electric was what they took the plunge with and so far the experience has been better than expected.

"It just felt like you could no longer buy a petrol car and expect to drive it for very long - like 10, 20 years," Carmel said.

"And our kids [aged 11 and 13] were really like 'no, you can't buy a petrol car', and they were quite strong about that."

Six months in and the pair are happy with the monetary savings without petrol and regular services (their first one is due in two years), while there's extra storage under the bonnet and they've managed to tow a heavy trailer.

"There's nowhere near enough charging stations in the Northern Illawarra, but nonetheless, we don't find it difficult," said Carmel.

"We don't even have the fast-charger at home because we haven't been struggling ... and I was really surprised when we towed quite heavy stuff up to [the Blue Mountains area]."

A recent report by Purprofile revealed more than two in three Aussies plan to switch from petrol to EVs, and almost one in three intend to buy one in the next five years.

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But the survey of more than 2000 also revealed widespread concerns about the up-front costs and whether the nation had enough charging stations - which was on par with the sentiments of people at the EV Open Day.

Kristen said there were options to trial EVs or e-bikes rather than buy outright, such as novated leasing for cars and a subscription service for bikes (similar to a lease).

Andrew of Thirroul said sustainability and benefits for the environment were factors to buy one, but he's also keen to wait to see what else hits the market.

"We're on the crest of a technological wave at the moment ... there's so many new things coming out I think it might be a bit presumptive to jump in too soon," he said.

Isaac of Thirroul said "technology was still in its infancy" while he had concerns over environmental waste from dead batteries, but he still anticipated buying one in the next few years.

"Our parents have an EV and it feels good when you're driving that you never need to call in to a petrol station, especially when petrol's $2.40 a litre," he said.

Jody of Clifton is looking to say goodbye to her beloved Volkswagen diesel-guzzling van for an EV and felt she had no other choice.

"I love my van a great deal, but I love the planet more," she said. "I've got to lead the way for my kids."

Vic from Towradgi was also needing to upgrade and believed EVs would quickly be everywhere.

"You get sick of paying for petrol and the running costs," added his partner Kim. "But the upfront cost is a bit of a worry."

Meantime, Danielle of Thirroul attended the open day to find out more about batteries as she'd just acquired a family-members old EV rather than buy a new petrol vehicle.

"It's not just about the vehicle, it's about saving the planet one house at a time," she said.

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