FleetDrive 23 - June 2020 | Page 28

State of Play What’s happening in your region? SOUTH AUSTRALIA A South Australia Police traffic operation has ended with no serious injuries or lives lost during the Queen’s birthday long weekend. Operation Safe Long Weekend ran from Friday 5 June until Monday 8 June, and despite the positive outcome, police are still disappointed with the number of irresponsible drivers and passengers who chose to commit a fatal five offence. Almost 9,000 alcohol tests were conducted over the four-day period with police recording 121 positive results. “It’s an extremely positive result to have no lives lost or serious injuries during the June long weekend, and this is something we would like to repeat for all future public holiday periods,” said Superintendent Bob Gray, Officer in Charge of the Traffic Services Branch. “The work of police does not stop here. We will continue to target dangerous drivers and passengers, and we will continue to plead with the community to accept and understand that road safety is a shared responsibility.” VICTORIA The newly renamed Ampol and Evie Networks are set to open the first of a series of 350kW ultra-fast EV chargers at its Avenel site, half way between Melbourne and Albury. It’s a significant move because it is the first major embrace of EV technology by a leading petrol brand in Australia. The near 90-year old Ampol brand was recently revived and became the official corporate name of Caltex Australia. The rebranding of the retail sites from Caltex to Ampol will occur over the next 12 months, and six of them will also feature ultra fast EV chargers. “This is a good opportunity for us to move towards understanding the technology,” says Alan Stuart-Grant executive GM for Ampol strategy and corporate development. “We are committed to meeting the needs of our customers now and into the future and clearly the pace is shifting – we will continue to adapt as consumer’s requirements change.” 28 ISSUE 23 2020 / WWW.AFMA.ORG.AU