Fleet of free EVs planned for new strata scheme

Residents of a new green-themed development in St Leonards on Sydney’s North Shore will be able to borrow from a fleet of electric bikes and cars for trips to the shops or beach.

Developers of the $500 million Newlands scheme plan to install a fleet of communal Teslas for residents to use when the 330 unit community is opened to residents in mid-2025.

Top Spring Australia has plugged into shared mobility company Outbound, as part of their contribution to weaning people off dependency on private car ownership. The Teslas will be located onsite full time with residents able to book and open the cars using the Outbound app.

The scheme will also includes a number of electric bikes from Sydney company Zoomo. Outbound CEO Luke Rust says dedicated transport solutions for residential developments are the future.

“This is a huge step forward for a Sydney residential project and a huge win for those who’ll eventually be living at The Newlands,” he smiles. “It’s about improving the amenity for residents and reducing the impact of the development on the environment.’

Coincidentally, this will tie in neatly with peak owners organisation the Owners Corporation Network’s (OCN) plan to make all new strata buildings net zero emissions by 2030.

“It’s amazing to see passionate and forward thinking developers like Top Spring Australia taking the lead in this space and accelerating access to sustainable transportation for residents,” said Rust.

“Long term, residents won’t even need to own a car as there’ll always be at least one Tesla onsite, ready and waiting.

“Just imagine, you need to duck up the road to run an errand, you jump in one of the Teslas, in and out in just an hour or two and you don’t have to pay for fuel, registration or any other running costs.”

The Newlands is the first project to be approved by Lane Cove Council following the rezoning of the St Leonard’s South Precinct. Other private amenities at the development will include a “Green Spine” with communal lawn and children’s play area, resort style pool, dog wash facilities and health and wellness centre featuring an indoor gym, yoga area and infrared sauna.

Construction on Stage 1 of The Newlands is expected to start in early 2023.

“This is Outbound’s first foray into residential developments and I expect the uptake to be enormous,” Rust says. “The writing’s on the wall when it comes to electric vehicles but owning one yourself is still very expensive.

“This way, you’ve got full access to a fleet of them without the big outlay to buy one in the first place. Not to mention, the average car in Australia costs $17,000 a year to own and operate and is usually parked about 96% of the time.”

To register your interest or book an appointment to visit The Newlands display suite, visit https://www.thenewlands.com.au.