Electric cars might be more than a few easy steps away from having their time in Australia but the interest has lept into the mainstream following various comments this week.
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Most recently it was British billionaire Sanjeev Gupta who has dangled the carrot before the South Australian government about recommissioning the defunct Holden factories into a new manufacturing hub for electric cars.
This follows federal energy minister Josh Frydenberg’s opinion that as costs of the traditionally prohibitive vehicles fall, Australia will “inevitably” see electric cars as a viable family or business transport option. The predictions are for a million vehicles by 2030 with the minister likening the revolution to the introduction of the iPhone.
Given we lag so far behind many countries in uptake and innovative adaption, putting the debate squarely in the public realm of possibility is certainly timely and worthwhile. There are, however, a number of considerations to complicate the hope of any smooth ride.
Politically, there are many in Frydenberg’s government who are opposed to government subsidising and development or encouraging uptake. One of the arguments is that due to the fossil-fired nature of power creation, the electricity they use will not lower greenhouse emissions.
Chief scientist Alan Finkel maintains the transfer to electric vehicles could be a part of the emissions solution but needs to be done in conjunction with the decarbonisation of the grid and uptake of renewables.
Researchers Graciela Metternicht and Gail Broadbent list more basic problems and argue access to off-peak tariffs for at-home charging will be key to making the cars accessible while also preventing overloads of the power grid. Even more basic in shaping consumers’ decisions will be a fast recharging network and the assurance of convenient and quick recharges on long journeys.
This is an infrastructure issue a federal government should lead, they argue, to ensure the standardisation and universal access. A successful implementation would be vital for regional Australia. The key needs are fast chargers with standardised fittings available every 50-100km (roughly what we expect from petrol stations) along with apps to help motorists find the nearest recharger and not limited to membership or brand.
Some significant steps in talking about the issues but we have a long way to go.
