Government's one bright spark An electric car at a recharging point. Photo: erin jonasson What are the chances of a state government car being electric? In Queensland, about one in 11,756, newly released government figures show. In fact, if you're an employee of the public purse with the keys to drive, chances are you'll be driving a small passenger vehicle which was probably made overseas and likely to be fuelled by either petrol or diesel. That estimation is based on a release of departmental information to the Newman government's "revolutionary" Queensland Data website, launched last year as part of the LNP's push towards "open government." The QFleet dataset lists the entire fleet of government leased vehicles, showing the state's appetite for foreign made cards is followed by a thirst for diesel. While 87 per cent of the fleet vehicles were 'imported' as opposed to 'local', 57 per cent were fuelled by diesel as compared to the 40.36 per cent powered by petrol. Interestingly 296 vehicles were hybrid, two were fuelled by LPG gas and one vehicle was electric. That car belongs to the Department of Queensland Health while the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Department of Education, Training and Employment each owning a gas powered vehicle. A spokesman for Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said it wasn't clear, off the top of his head, who was driving the state's only plug-in mobile "But we've got a hybrid Camry," he said. Electric cars formed the basis of a campaign by the former Labor government to "revolutionise" QFleet, and five cars were given to members of the public as part of a "residential electric vehicle (EV) trial" launched in November 2011. The vehicles used in the trial, driven by Ergon Energy, were Mitsubishi i-MiEVs, said to travel 80km to 120km off a full charge. But the trial appeared to go nowhere and the Newman government was openly critical of the push towards electric vehicles after gaining office in March last year. In October 2012 freshly minted Transport Minister Scott Emerson used estimates hearings to lambast his predecessors for installing 24 electric car parks at 313 Adelaide Street. "Some $43,500 was wasted on this exercise however TMR do not have any electric cars in their vehicle fleet and there are currently no plans to purchase any," Mr Emerson said. But just one month earlier, Brisbane City Council's sustainability authority CitySmart launched an electric vehicle charging station paid for by GE and ERM Power at King George Square under a year-long, $50,000 trial. At the time, 48 of Queensland's 2,469,255 registered cars were electric. QFleet government leased vehicle fleet April 28, 2013 Import: 10269 Local: 1487 Heavy trucks: 161 Light Commercial - Light Buses: 61 Light Commercial - PU/CC 4X2: 1004 Light Commercial - PU/CC 4x4: 2103 Light Commercial - Vans: 399 Passenger - Large: 342 Passenger - Light: 214 Passenger - Medium: 1428 Passenger - People Mover: 234 Passenger - Small: 3219 Passenger - Upper Large: 129 Plant and Equipment: 21 SUV - Compact: 933 SUV - Large: 231 SUV - Medium: 1277 Petrol: 4745 Diesel: 6712 Hybrid: 296 Electric: 1