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An outback adventure: powered by chip oil

The Nullabor Plain. The name itself is Latin for “no trees”. Remote and arid, this seemingly barren environment stretches along the southern Australian coastline. But even in harsh environments like this, the EV revolution is making headway. This time, thanks to chip oil.

Electric car on its way through the Australian outback

A road trip through the Nullarbor Plain is a road trip through another world. The Eyre Highway, plotting an arrow-straight course from Caiguna to Southern Cross, has up until now been inaccessible for a car run solely on electricity. A blank spot on the map of planned Australian EV infrastructure. But through a new and innovative charging system, EV owners are now able to plug in and go all the way through Nullarbor without worrying about power. All thanks to that most humble of foods: chips. 

The invention, dubbed BiØfil charging system, was created by retired engineer Jon Edwards. The oil running the chargers comes from waste chip fat collected from the fryers at a local roadhouse restaurant. The system extracts energy from the oil through a generator, that in turn powers the charging system. “Polestar is thrilled to share its passion for innovation and sustainability with visionaries like Jon Edwards,” says Samantha Johnson, managing director of Polestar Australia. The use of recycled oil allows the BiØfil to offset its carbon footprint and turn the waste oil into a completely net-zero charging solution. The process leaves no mark on the environment: another step towards creating important possibilities to charge green. What’s more, it’s proven to be a more cost-efficient solution than other renewable charging solutions feasible in a location like this, such as solar panels. 

As the first EV on the market to try it out, Polestar 2 gave the unique fast-charging system its first demonstration, powering up off-grid and continuing its way through the Australian outback. A journey covering over 700 kilometres. Now, Aussies can charge up both themselves and their EVs from the same source. Powered by chips (well, at least the waste chip oil), the Polestar 2 traversed the Nullarbor Plain, leaving the hostile, yet beautiful, terrain untouched.  

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