The second leg of the Roadshow took us to Canberra, to show the electric ute off to some federal politicians. We left Melbourne on a warm Sunday morning with a full battery, a playlist lined up, and a ribbon of tarmac in front of us. 

Around lunchtime, we stopped off at Euroa to fill our stomachs and top up the battery while we were there. The chargers at Euroa are very well-used, so there was a constant stream of EVs cycling through while we recharged. 

One couple we spoke to had gotten their EV in November, but this was their first long trip away from home. Like us, they weren't expert tech-heads, just normal people keen to reduce their emissions and save money on petrol, and they were really enjoying their ownership experience. 

From Euroa, we continued along the Hume for a while, before turning onto some winding mountain roads to get to Yackandandah Folk Festival. This absolutely gorgeous part of the world is Jiatmathang country, with Beechworth being another gem we passed through on the way there. 

When we arrived at Yack, we were greeted by our friend Russell Klose from Kilowatt Cars, who had kindly agreed to share some of his stall space at the festival. We certainly turned a lot of heads as the ute rolled slowly along the street, emitting its musical hum as Ajaya and Russell walked in front of it! 

From the moment we pulled up next to Russell's Nissan Leafs, we had people coming up to take a look at the ute and ask questions about it - people young and old all afternoon, all curious to see the big blue & yellow beast and find out what it could do! 

When we told people that Fuel Efficiency Standards were the key to getting a wider variety of EVs into the country - including utes that could tow more and drive further - and that we were on our way to Canberra to give the pollies a push on this issue, lots of them signed our petition (you can sign it here). 

When the festival wrapped up at Yack, we took a short drive to Barnawartha to top up the battery, and on to stay the night in Albury. 

The next morning we met with the Albury council team, who are looking into buying a few different types of electric vehicle - potentially a ute and a few passenger cars - to test them out and see how they meet their needs. 

Then it was back on the Hume, till we stopped for lunch and a charge at Gundagai. Of course, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to see the Dog on the Tuckerbox while we were there! 

From there it was just under two hours to Canberra, where we'd be talking to politicians of all stripes. Stay tuned for all the details next time!