Are the days of queueing in long lines at busy supermarkets waiting to pay for groceries finally behind us? For some lucky Coles customers in Queensland, they just might be. From next week, the supermarket giant will rollout an Australian first “store-to-door” drone delivery service, coming to shoppers at the Gold Coast from November 2. Becoming the first major Aussie retailer to offer delivery directly from stores to homes “in a matter of minutes”, residents in three suburbs will be among the lucky first to trial the offer. The service will gradually expand to include other surrounding suburbs, with more than 500 of the most popular Coles products available for delivery. Items include bread, fresh produce, and household essentials. “We are delighted to be expanding our drone delivery pilot program with Wing to our Queensland customers,” Coles Head of Network Development and Customer Delivery James Geddes said “The service will provide a convenient and effective way of…

Around 1.1 million Australians use vaping products, which is projected to increase. Health minister mark butler is preparing to impose tough new rules on the thriving black-market vaping industry, as a new cost-benefit analysis reveals regulating products could deliver an $800m budget windfall. After discussions with state and territory counterparts, Mr Butler attacked the Morrison government for “dropping the ball” on vaping and flagged bolstering the regulatory framework around e-cigarettes and vaping products. “The rate of young Australians aged 18-24 who reported using e-cigarettes nearly doubled, from 2.8 per cent in 2016 to 5.3 per cent in 2019,” he told The Australian. “Our government is concerned about the increased marketing and use of e-cigarettes, particularly among young people. Mr Butler said Labor had a “proud history” of implementing anti-smoking policies; it passed world-leading plain packaging laws through parliament in 2012. The crackdown comes as a new cost-benefit analysis found licensing…

The first BP electric vehicle fast-charger has gone online in Melbourne’s north-east, heralding the oil and gas giant’s entry into the EV space in Australia. The facility is located at the Diamond Creek BP on the outskirts of Melbourne, and is part of the fossil fuel major’s BP Pulse initiative that includes a deal with Brisbane-based Tritium to install almost 1,000 of its charges across Australia and New Zealand. The BP Pulse operation already runs 8,700 rapid and ultra-fast points in the UK and has ambitions to grow its EV charging network to 70,000 by 2030. The new EV fast-charger at Diamond Creek is a 75kWh RTM75 from Tritium and is – at least for the moment – free for users. It’s already in use. Eight EV drivers so far have checked in on Plugshare, and are giving the charging site a good rap. “Easy to operate and reasonable speed,” said one.…

More than 500 electric vehicle chargers will be rolled out across NSW over the next two years as part of a $40 million government bid to spur uptake of the technology. Fast and ultra-fast chargers will be installed at 86 locations through Sydney’s suburbs as well as regional NSW towns as the government works to quell so-called range anxiety associated with electric vehicles. EVs represent 3.7 per cent of new car sales in NSW, according to the Electric Vehicle Council, with the state government aiming to increase that to 50 per cent within a decade. Treasurer Matt Kean said the investment was the first of three funding rounds that would result in NSW developing the fastest and most comprehensive public EV charging system in the country. “We know that the global car market is moving away from petrol models towards EVs. We need to ensure we have the modern infrastructure…

First Asda Express to open in Sutton Coldfield next month and Tottenham Hale in December 30 more stores planned for 2023 – creating c. 500 new jobs – as Asda steps up presence in the convenience market Exciting new format will offer customers over 3,000 products across groceries, hot and cold ‘food for now’ and Leon coffee ‘to go’ Asda has today announced plans to open its first two standalone convenience stores before Christmas, under a new ‘Asda Express’ brand, bringing Asda value and great products to more local communities across the UK. The Asda Express stores will open at Sutton Coldfield on 8th November and Tottenham Hale, London, on 6th December, creating 37 new jobs in the local communities they serve. Asda plans to launch a further 30 sites, creating about 500 new roles, next year, as part of a ‘test & learn’ approach to developing its convenience model – a…

18/10/22; CNN Gas stations with convenience stores seem like an obvious location for electric vehicle chargers. Drivers could grab a drink or snack while waiting for their vehicle to charge. But despite available federal funding to build EV chargers, many stores aren’t biting. The reason? High electric utility fees on charging stations make them unappealing — and unprofitable — for convenience store owners. The bipartisan infrastructure bill is providing $7.5 billion to help pay for electric vehicle chargers that could help gradually replace gas pumps. But sky-high fees combined with competition from utilities and spotty electric vehicle uptake have dampened interest from convenience stores in building out this essential infrastructure. Charging four vehicles at once at a station could cost the operator $250,000 a year in supplemental fees, called demand charges, according to Jigar Shah, Head of Energy Services at Electrify America, which operates the largest public charger network in…