Electric Ute Rolls Onto Building Site in Total Silence - Tradies Left Audibly Uncomfortable
- Finn Seabrook
- Aug 1
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 12
Finn Seabrook | Local Correspondent | Sutherland Shire Gazette
1 August 2025
WOOLOOWARE - A building site was briefly plunged into confusion and existential panic yesterday when a tradie arrived in a near-silent electric ute, prompting what one witness described as “the most awkward smoko in living memory.”
The vehicle - a sleek BYD electric utility with zero grunt and maximum efficiency - rolled onto the gravel like a polite librarian arriving at a monster truck rally. No rev. No roar. Just the faint crunch of ethically sourced tyres on loose dirt.
“It was eerie,” said lead carpenter Shane from Sylvania. “Usually you hear Benny’s rig from three blocks away. Today? Nothing. He just… appeared. Like a ninja in steel caps.”
The ute’s silent arrival caused immediate disruption to the site’s finely tuned noise ecosystem. One apprentice dropped a Makita out of sheer startle. Another was heard whispering, “Why is it sneaking?”
Benny, 44, the tradie in question, stepped out calmly holding a KeepCup and a smug expression. “It’s good for the environment and the wallet,” he said, while plugging the ute into a portable solar panel charger. “Plus, I can hear my podcasts now without the diesel drowning them out.”
But his colleagues were less impressed. “Utes are supposed to growl,” said Conor, a concreter from Caringbah. “It’s the symphony of the site. This thing just glides in like it’s here to feng shui the port-a-loo.”
The foreman eventually had to clarify that yes, Benny was still ‘one of us’ and no, this wasn’t part of a council compliance inspection.
Meanwhile, debates raged in the break shed about whether a tradie could truly claim to have "rocked up" if no one actually heard him arrive.
Experts from the Loftus TAFE Institute for Social Construction (Literally) say the silent electric ute represents a seismic shift in cultural norms. “It’s not just transport,” said Dr. Ellie Nailer. “It’s a threat to the auditory identity of the working class.”
Benny, unfazed, returned to his ute after the pour, sipped his oat flat white, and reversed in silence - leaving behind only the faint hum of a new era and the suspicious scent of moral superiority.
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