When Wagga's Dev Mukherjee bought his first electric vehicle in 2015, he was confident there would be plenty following in his footsteps for years to come.
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With vehicles now available for sale in Wagga and charging infrastructure popping up through the region, he believes more and more people are making the switch.
Mr Mukherjee, who bought one of the first Teslas in the country and has since upgraded, said the vehicles were his passion because of both the lack of emissions and the recyclable nature of the manufacturing.
"I was in the privileged position to be able to buy into it all those years ago, and with any new technology this is how it works, some people buy it at a higher price ... eventually if the idea succeeds, which it has, prices eventually come down," he said.
"More and more people buy it, the eco-system supports itself."
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Mr Mukherjee said while the vehicle was seen as a luxury car and there was a perception it could not travel long distances, he used it for everything from interstate road trips to the everyday drive.
"It is our family vehicle, we drive it everywhere, it gets dirty, it gets smashed, I've got a baby, I've got the whole lot," he said.
Sydney-based Long Nguyen has brought his Tesla to Wagga for work, keeping it charged using the three-month-old NRMA charger at Cross Street.
He said to him the car was ideal for a long drive, with charging stations along the way always positioned near amenities.
"It forces you to take a break from driving every two, two-and-a-half hours ... most of the time I just take a break, have coffee, have lunch," he said.
"With a Tesla because of the autopilot it makes driving so much easier ... you don't have to think as much and it makes driving long distances so much less tiring."
Wagga Motors has been selling fully electric vehicles for nearly two years, with the Hyundai Kona in stock for a test drive and the IONIQ sold out as they await the new model.
Over that period, sales consultant Samantha Garner said enquiries had been increasing.
"It's definitely picked up from when they first came out," she said.
Ms Garner said the Kona, a small SUV, has sold three times in the past three months.
The two vehicles sell for between $50-70 thousand, but Ms Garner said long-term cost-effectiveness was one of the reasons people were interested.
"Mainly it's to do with the emissions and also from a cost saving incentive, people see what they can spend upfront but also what they'll save in the long run," she said.
Ms Garner said the vehicles were "great to drive," quieter and more responsive than traditional vehicles.
She said prospective buyers were often surprised by how far the vehicles will travel, with a range of at least 300 kilometres.
"From a practical point of view it's not as scary and daunting as people usually assume," she said.
