As I pedal through the vastness of the Australian Outback on my #eBike4Australia journey, there are so many surprises. Cat Man just a few days ago was one of my favourites. But today at Caiguna Roadhouse in the middle of the Nullarbor, I found something else. An EV charger powered by ... cooking fat. That’s right, the same stuff that fries up the batches of chips that keep me going across the Nullarbor is also fuelling electric cars.
Retired engineer Jon Edwards created this one-of-a-kind EV fast charger. Called the BiØfil system, it runs entirely on used cooking oil from the roadhouse’s deep fryers. Talk about turning waste into watts!
This innovative charger is a crucial part of an EV highway connecting Western Australia to South Australia. Without it, there would be a significant gap, leaving EV drivers stranded in the vast emptiness. Most of the EV chargers I find are solar powered. But this one repurposes used vegetable oil. It provides a net-zero emissions solution that is as sustainable as it is creative.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Gregory, did you manage to charge your e-bike on this greasy marvel?” Unfortunately, my e-bike wasn’t compatible with the chip-powered charger. But hey, I did buy a big box of hot chips to recharge my own batteries!
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