Pub owner's EV saves the night during Sydney blackout
Turns out electric vehicles are good for more than just a comfortable ride, they can also be used as an emergency power source.
That was the case last week when one Sydney hotelier used his EV, to keep his venue trading through hours of blackout rather than sending customers home on one of the pub's busiest nights.
The Mitch Hotel in Alexandria lost power for several hours on Friday night due to nearby power line repairs. Owner Phil Anderson, who was working at his other venue, Sneaky Possum, rushed across after being alerted to the outage.
"I was in the kitchen at my other venue, Sneaky Possum – so I had to call someone in early there and I jumped across to the Mitch Hotel," he told NewsWire. "There was no sound in the pub, the lights were off and it was like, 'What in the world is going on'. So I just plugged in an extension cord (to my car)."
Rather than close the doors, Anderson connected his BYD electric vehicle to the venue via extension cord, using it to power essential appliances one by one. The EV kept the pub running for around six hours, between 3pm and 9pm, allowing staff to keep pizzas cooking, beer pouring and music playing through a backup PA system.
Anderson documented the improvised setup on social media: "Still open! Beer is pouring, pizzas are firing and music is cranking", he posted along with footage of the car plugged into the venue. The post drew widespread praise online, with commenters highlighting the quality of the food despite the outage and describing the venue as a quintessential Australian pub.
One social media user suggested BYD Australia should consider sponsoring the pub, highlighting the value of an EV beyond daily transport.
Anderson said the atmosphere shifted only slightly despite the disruption, describing it as the "same vibes, but just a little darker," and thanked patrons for their support throughout the night.
"I've been in hospitality for 20 years, you get used to the show always going on and finding a way, no matter what is going on," he said. "Sometimes keeping it going becomes the show, but the worst thing you can do is panic and let a place close, as people are there to relax after a long stressful week."
Patrons responded to the outage with good humour and community spirit.
"The patrons were fantastic - there was a little bit of bemusement, but overall they found it quite cool," he said. "We had people offering to find generators, to get ice, to do all sorts of things and it became a fun little community hub where we found a way around it."
Jonathan Jackson, 14th September
