Nordic Blinds going the distance in EVs
David and Annette from local Canberra business, Nordic Blinds, spend a lot of time behind the wheel driving to visit clients at their homes and businesses.
As their business grew, so too did their need for vehicles.
They chose electric vehicles (EVs) and haven’t looked back.
The challenge
“Visiting clients is essential to providing window furnishings that will be both functional and aesthetically pleasing in their unique circumstances,” said David, co-owner of Nordic Blinds.
“Providing this personalised service means that we spend a lot of time on the road, so having the right vehicle is really important.
“Over the past nine years, our business has grown from a two-person operation servicing the Canberra region, to a business with 6 employees covering ACT, NSW and Victoria.
“When it came to investing in vehicles for our growing business, our choice was driven by the same values that led us in to selling Nordic-style blinds: comfort, style and energy efficiency.
The action
“EVs seemed to be the perfect fit for our business needs and our values and, despite our concerns about range and recharging, we took the plunge and bought two of them.
“They work really well for our day-to-day business operations and are the perfect solution for getting around Canberra, NSW and Victoria.
“The Fleet Advisory Service team have helped us to find information on the potential costs and benefits for continuing the transition to an electric vehicle fleet for our business.
The benefit
“We’ve had electric vehicles in our fleet for over three years now, that have travelled a combined total of around 190,000 kms. The cars are a delight to drive and unbelievably reliable.
“Contrary to our expectations, recharging when on the road has never been a problem – as long as a little planning is done prior to bigger trips to country NSW, country Victoria, Sydney and Melbourne. We stopped worrying about range a long time ago.
“Our EVs are definitely cheaper to run, we save around $7,000 - $9,000 per 50,000km. l did a 790km trip last week and it cost me $14.80. We estimate that we have saved around $30,000 since we bought the first EV.
“Apart from saving money, by far the biggest thing you get out of driving these things is that you are no longer contributing to the pollution of the planet, and the importance of that cannot be understated.”
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as traditional custodians of the ACT and recognise any other people or families with connection to the lands of the ACT and region. We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region.