Council, RAC to promote electric highway

Bunbury City Council and the RAC will work together to promote the so-called "Electric Highway" to attract environment-conscious drivers to the region.

About three weeks ago, Bunbury's first electric charging station was unveiled in the Symmons Street carpark next to the Graham Bricknell Memorial Music Shell.

While official figures were not available, council chief executive officer Andrew Brien said anecdotal evidence showed cars had been using the station.

But Mr Brien said the council and the RAC, which have installed the charging stations across the region including in Margaret River, would make sure it reviewed its marketing of the Electric Highway.

"As it becomes more and more common knowledge I think more and more people will start to use it," he said.

"Our idea of putting them in the CBD was to have them (drivers) have a long charge, go and have a cup of coffee and then come back and drive off."

Drivers can use the Electric Highway for free until December 31 and then local governments will set the price.

While this price is still to be decided, Mr Brien said the cost would not be expensive and could be about $10 per charge.

"It is not something that is going to make money, all we want to do is recover the power costs," he said.

Electric charging stations are located in Bunbury, Busselton, Margaret River and Mandurah and nine others, including in Bridgetown, Donnybrook and Perth, are set to come online.