Electric cars, home batteries and V2G: Thousands turn out for EV expo
This article originally featured in The Driven on 21 June 2026.
Donald Trump’s disastrous war in the Middle East and the fossil fuel crisis that followed around the world has sharpened interest in electric vehicles, home batteries, and new technologies such as vehicle-to-grid.
EV sales in Australia are running at record highs of 20 per cent of new car sales, an EV has become the best selling car in Australia for the first time, interest is surging at second hand auctions and insurance brokers, home battery installations are being installed at improbable speed, and thousands are queueing for the opportunity to turn their EVs into batteries on wheels.
Zero Emissions Noosa has been running its annual EV and Electrify Everything Expo for eight years now, and Sunday was its biggest yet – a crowd of more than 8,000 people, organisers estimate, as one of its main thoroughfares was closed for the day and 65 different exhibitors showed off their EVs, electric bikes, e-scooters, solar and batteries and charging and other accessories.
The interest was high and The Driven was in attendance fielding questions from consumers about their choices in the rapidly accelerating energy transition – and most of it was focused on what sort of EV they should get, and if they should get a home battery (and what size), or wait for vehicle to grid. Or do both.
“We’ve got by far our biggest crowd,” said Anne Kennedy, the chair of Noose Zero Emissions, a not-for-profit which organises the expo each year and provides information on solar, battery storage, EVs and e-bikes, and helps the community with information sessions and programs to assist low income households.
“It’s fantastic to see lots of people here wanting information about how to electrify their homes or what sort of EV to buy. We’ve got a private owners precinct where people can go and talk about what it’s like to really own an EV, and then they can go and talk to the sales people if they want.”
“It’s about raising awareness and encouraging behaviour change.”
The expo is backed by the Noosa Shire Council and major Frank Wilkie said it was important for a place like Noosa, which is heavily car dependent and where transport emissions account for one third of its total, compared to around 21 per cent for the rest of Australia.
Noosa, as popular holiday town, is trying lots of measures to encourage public transport, including shuttles, walking, and cycling, and is building up its portfolio of fast, AC and destination charging.
“What Zero Emissions Noosa is showing us today …. is that the future the towards cleaner greener technologies is well underway and accelerating, especially in terms of EVs with all the instability in the Middle East and the rising cost of fuel,” Wilkie said.
The major sponsors, Cricks Sunshine Coast, had eight different EV models on show – Subaru, Deepal, VW, Skoda, Chery, Kia, Zeek and Jaecoo, including the low-cost J5 that has shot into the top three most popular EVs in the last month.
Dealer Principal Dean Stuart says the surge in interest over the last few months – since the start of bombing in Iran and the closure of the Hormuz Strait – has been phenomenal, with some model volumes increasing 16 fold.
“It’s a real big shift,” he says.
See The Driven’s detailed EV sales data here: Australian electric vehicle sales by month in 2026; by model and by brand.
