Australia has always been a country that tests vehicles. Long distances, thinly spaced towns, heat, dust, coastal storms and remote highways make the classic “Big Lap” a rite of passage for road trippers. For years, that scale also made Australia the perfect place for one of the most persistent electric vehicle myths: that EVs are fine in cities, but unsuitable for serious long-distance travel.
The history of EV circumnavigation in Australia tells a very different story. More than a decade of electric laps, charging experiments and community-led route building shows that the question is no longer whether an EV can travel around Australia. It is how well you plan the trip, which vehicle you choose, and how confidently you use the charging options already available.
For drivers who want to try electric touring before buying, renting an EV through evee is one of the easiest ways to experience that shift first-hand. The same peer-to-peer model has already played a role in Australian EV history: the vehicle used by Stuart McBain for the Charge Around Australia project was hired through an evee host.
From curiosity to proven capability
The first EV laps of Australia were not ordinary holidays. They were proof-of-concept journeys carried out by people who wanted to show that electric transport could work beyond the comfort of metropolitan charging. Early trips used conversions, careful planning, support vehicles or generator back-up. Later journeys used production EVs, public chargers, caravan park outlets and the fast-growing highway charging network.
That progression matters because it mirrors the broader EV story in Australia. What began as an experiment has become a practical travel option. In the early years, the achievement was simply completing the lap. Today, the conversation is more about cost, charging speed, route choice and comfort.
| Period | What changed | Why it mattered |
|---|---|---|
| Early 2010s | Converted EVs and pioneering support teams proved an electric lap could be done. | The concept moved from theory to real-world evidence. |
| Mid-2010s | Production EVs began completing the route with increasingly less support. | Drivers could see that EV touring was not limited to custom builds. |
| Late 2010s | The Round Australia Electric Highway and community charging knowledge filled major gaps. | Long-distance EV travel became more accessible to ordinary drivers. |
| Early 2020s | Charge Around Australia tested printed solar cells and off-grid charging on an Australian lap. | The project showed that EV travel could also be a platform for renewable-energy innovation. |
| Mid-2020s | Public fast chargers, destination charging and better planning tools made the Big Lap more realistic than ever. | The myth of “nowhere to charge” became increasingly outdated. |
The pioneers who proved an electric lap was possible
Australia’s first EV circumnavigation milestones were built on persistence. Glen George is widely recognised within the Australian EV community for an early lap in the converted MG known as “Lectric” in 2011. That journey required support and a mobile generator, but it demonstrated something important: even before modern public charging, an electric vehicle could complete the Australian circuit.
By 2016, the milestone had moved into the production EV era. Richard McNeall completed a lap in a Tesla Model S 90D, often cited by EV groups as a breakthrough because it used a commercially available electric car and did not rely on the same kind of support vehicle or mobile generator used by earlier attempts. Around the same period, Jeff Johnson completed a Nissan Leaf lap connected to a charity effort, showing that smaller-battery EVs could also contribute to the story.
These trips were not effortless, but that is exactly why they were important. Every early driver left behind practical knowledge about plugs, roadhouses, overnight charging, highway distances and route planning. In a country where many people assumed EVs could not leave the city, these journeys created the evidence base that later travellers would build upon.
The Round Australia Electric Highway changed the conversation
A major step forward came from the volunteer and owner community. The Round Australia Electric Highway concept aimed to create a practical route around the country using charging points spaced closely enough for real EV travel. It was not simply about installing fast chargers. In remote areas, three-phase power, caravan parks and destination outlets were often part of the solution.
That distinction is important for modern EV drivers. Long-distance electric travel is not limited to one type of charger. A smooth trip can combine ultra-rapid highway stops, slower overnight top-ups, hotel charging, caravan park outlets and backup options mapped before departure. The more flexible your charging plan, the easier the journey becomes.
If you are new to the charging landscape, evee’s guide to Australia’s EV charging networks is a useful companion. It explains the major networks, charging speeds and road-trip planning tools that now make long-distance EV travel far more straightforward.
Charge Around Australia and evee’s place in the story
One of the most fascinating chapters in this history arrived in 2022, when British EV adventurer Stuart McBain joined Professor Paul Dastoor and the University of Newcastle team for Charge Around Australia. The project set out to drive an EV around the Australian coast while testing lightweight printed solar cells as a portable, renewable charging source.
ABC coverage at the time described the project as an ambitious field test of printed solar sheets, which could be rolled out during the day and used to help charge the vehicle. The aim was not only to complete a long journey, but to test how renewable technology might support transport in places where fixed charging infrastructure is limited or unavailable.
That is where evee enters the story. In a September 2022 evee update, the company noted that Stuart McBain and the Charge Around Australia team would travel roughly 9,000 miles in a Tesla supplied by one of evee’s own hosts. In practical terms, an Australian EV owner made their car available through evee, and that vehicle became part of one of the world’s earliest around-Australia projects to test portable printed solar charging on a full coastal lap.
The symbolism is powerful. A peer-to-peer EV sharing platform helped enable a project that was explicitly designed to challenge range anxiety. It connected an ambitious renewable-energy experiment with the real-world usefulness of shared electric cars. For evee renters today, the lesson is simple: the same type of vehicle you can book for a weekend, a work trip or a regional escape has already helped prove what electric travel can do at continental scale.
Why these journeys bust the charging myth
The myth says long-distance EV travel fails because charging is unavailable. The history says something more precise and more useful: long-distance EV travel requires planning, but it is absolutely achievable. That was true when pioneers had to work around limited infrastructure, and it is even more true now that fast chargers are spreading along major corridors.
The Australian Government’s national charging programme is designed to place more fast chargers on key highway routes, with a focus on linking capital cities and filling regional blackspots. State-backed corridors, private networks and destination chargers are also expanding. At the same time, EVs themselves now offer better real-world range, faster charging curves and more accurate route planning.
For most travellers, charging stops are not wasted time. They naturally align with meal breaks, rest stops and safer pacing on long drives. On very remote sections, the trip may still call for slower overnight charging or a more conservative plan. That does not make the journey impossible. It simply makes EV touring more like good expedition planning: know your route, check your stops, keep alternatives in mind and let the car recharge while you do too.
What modern EV road trippers can learn from the Big Lap pioneers
The early circumnavigators were not trying to make EV travel look easy. They were trying to prove it was possible. Modern drivers benefit from everything they learned. The practical lessons are now clear enough for anyone planning a serious electric road trip.
| Lesson | How to apply it today |
|---|---|
| Plan the route before departure. | Use charging apps and vehicle route planners to check distances, charging speeds and backup sites. |
| Mix fast and slow charging. | Combine highway DC fast charging with overnight destination charging where it suits your itinerary. |
| Treat remote travel differently. | In less populated areas, call ahead, confirm access and allow more buffer than you would on a metro route. |
| Choose the right EV for the trip. | Consider real-world range, charging speed, boot space and comfort, not just headline battery size. |
| Test before committing. | Hire an EV first to understand charging, range and road-trip habits before buying or planning a larger adventure. |
This is where evee’s EV rental marketplace becomes especially useful. A renter can choose a Tesla, BYD, Hyundai, Kia, Polestar or another EV, then learn how charging works in real driving conditions. For more focused planning, evee’s road-trip articles, such as the Sydney to Canberra EV Road Trip Guide and Melbourne to Grampians EV Road Trip Guide, show how electric touring works on specific Australian routes.
The Big Lap has become a confidence story
Australia’s EV circumnavigation history is not just a list of records. It is a story of confidence building. Each lap made the next one easier to imagine. Each charging workaround became a lesson. Each new charger changed what was possible for the next driver.
Charge Around Australia added a uniquely Australian chapter by linking electric touring with printed solar research and by showing how shared EV access through evee could support a globally interesting renewable-energy project. It also reinforced the central point that has run through every successful lap: charging is not an immovable barrier. It is a planning task, an infrastructure challenge and, increasingly, a solved part of the electric travel experience.
For anyone still wondering whether an EV can handle long-distance Australian travel, the historical record has already answered. Converted EVs, early production models, Teslas, Leafs, family cars and solar-assisted experiments have all contributed to the same conclusion. The Big Lap is no longer an argument against electric vehicles. It is one of the best arguments for them.
Ready to experience electric road travel
You do not need to begin with a lap of Australia. Start with a day trip, a regional weekend or a capital-city-to-country drive. Learn where the chargers are, how the car estimates range and how easily charging fits into natural travel breaks.
When you are ready, browse EVs available on evee and plan your own electric adventure. The pioneers have already shown what is possible. The next trip can be yours.
