Australia prepares for electric vehicles
May 8, 2009 by David Twomey
The peak body representing manufacturers and importers of new vehicles, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), has taken steps to prepare for the introduction of plug-in electric and electric-hybrid vehicles into the Australian market.
Mitsubishi has already gained government approval under the Australian Design Rules (ADR) for it to register the MiEV electric vehicle in Australia and GM Holden has said it will begin selling the Volt, currently being developed by Chevrolet in the US, from 2011.
The FCAI has established an Electric Vehicle Working Group, which met for the first time this week, to address a range of issues.
“Many manufacturers have announced plans to release electric vehicles in the next few years and we must ensure that Australia is ready for this technology,” FCAI Chief Executive Andrew McKellar said.
The Electric Vehicle Working Group will identify the types of vehicles expected to be introduced, anticipated infrastructure needs as well as issues involving technical and registration requirements.
“Around the world the automotive industry is investing in a vast array of new technologies and fuel types to enhance environmental performance and reduce vehicle emissions,” he said.
“Electric vehicles represent real progress and the automotive industry is working to ensure that Australia is positioned at the forefront of this emerging technology,” Mr McKellar said.
“The working group will consult relevant external stakeholders as well as state and federal governments to ensure a nationally-consistent approach is maintained,” he said.
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Infrastructure, good. Big tax break or grant for EV’s mr Rudd. Especially for the aussie companies who’ve stated doing EV conversion jobs.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I am utterly unexcited by electric cars. The quiet, dull drive of a Prius is only worsened knowing that a coal power plant somewhere conveniently out of sight is polluting the earth.
Clean-burn hydrogen cars on the other hand… now that would be progress.
“coal power plant somewhere conveniently out of sight is polluting the earth.”
And where does this clean hydrogen come from ??
“Clean-burn hydrogen cars on the other hand… now that would be progress.”
Hydrogen cars use fuel cells to generate elecricity from the stored Hydrogen to drive an electric motor. So if the prius is boring to drive, then your Hydrogen car will be also.
Urabus – use your imagination – I’m sure that would make it much more exciting. Hey, try making a “BRRRRRRRRRRRRP-brrrrrrrrrrrrrp” noise while you’re driving along.
Losing an exhaust sound for emissions-free motoring? A no-brainer.
Urabus, ever thought about the efficiency of a coal power plant Vs an internal combustion vehicle engine. Massive difference. Hydrogen requires alot of electricity to produce but just like ev cars, its a step in the right direction.
Imagine the sound of capacitors charging whilst your at the lights ready to flog a petrol car (think old camera flash sound) how sweet would that be.
Yeah, I’m a goose. For commercial quantities of hydrogen, you generally need electricity so that coal plant is still firing away.
I guess the main point I was attempting to make was that electric cars give people a false sense of reduced environmental impact.
Urabus, you can’t really travel anywhere without environmental impact. Its a case of reduction.
Pound for pound electric cars pollute far less than their combustion engine cousins and also help break our dependence on fossil fuel. Which has to happen anyway.
I agree the MiEV doesn’t stir the blood quite like a Tesla. But with time i’m sure we’ll see some affordable EV sports cars hit the road in OZ.
How about this for the untimate EV???…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXqYbNEiW0Y
Hey Lazybones your ignorance on the subject is so profound you need to be corrected.
BMW have Hydrogen cars going about the US and they run on an internal combustion motor not an electric motor. They only emit water.
The probelem with the technology is that it takes a lot of energy to extract the hydrogen and it has to be kept cold to about -270 deg C, this has already been achieved with a tank that can hold that temp for about 12 days.
If you are using Nuclear Power stations for your main source of energy, like France, than the Hydrogen car looks very inviting.
By the way, coal may be in more abundance but it is not that much more cleaner than burning oil so the environment is still suffering.
The biggest benefit initially will be a reduction in emissions of carcinogens and particulates in the city … That is potentially life saving environmental improvement!
How can this possibly make sense when Australia generates about 80% of its electricity from non-renewable sources? Might as well pour the oil straight into your fuel tank instead of making electricity out of it. Hang on, don’t we do that already? That’s even before you work out how you get home when your stupid battery-powered car has run out of juice.
The moment you let Government-funded PR machines determine how your car will be propelled is the beginning of the end of civilization as we know it.
“Hey Lazybones your ignorance on the subject is so profound you need to be corrected.”
Rick you would have to live in a cave not to know about the H7. The H7 which represents 30 years of development but still the car costs over $10Million US. Its so expensive you can’t even own one, its lease only. This car burns nearly 50L/100K of Hydrogen. Hydrogen at mass production is hoped, to be as cheap as normal petrol. Its lack of effcientcy is exactly why nearly 90% of all the concept H2 cars are fuel cell based.
In short Rick, you or I will never own a Hydrogen car. Its a white elephant.
check out http://www.hydrogencarsnow.com
“How can this possibly make sense when Australia generates about 80% of its electricity from non-renewable sources? ”
Clearly that needs to change, but at least the source of electricity you use is your choice. If can have 100% green accredited if you want to pay for it.
“That’s even before you work out how you get home when your stupid battery-powered car has run out of juice”
What? don’t normal cars have the same problem?
Charge it a home, drive to work, charge it at work , drive home. Yup thats really hard to work out.
“The biggest benefit initially will be a reduction in emissions of carcinogens and particulates in the city”
Very true Paul, just last week a London Assembly report claimed that diesel emsissions were the prime cause of over 3000 deaths in the london in 2005. Not to mention that even when your outside the city on a freeway your basically driving in the slip stream of pollution created by the car infront.
Infrastructure is easy.
Convert petrol stations to battery exchange points. All manufacturers make battery packs for all cars a single, standard size.
You pull up into a station, your old pack come out from the bottom of the car, a new pack come out from underground, where massive petrol storage tanks normally go into the ground. Your old battery goes into the charging unit built into the ground under the station.
You drive away within 1-2 minutes with a fresh battery pack that just got slotted back into your car from under the car.
No mess, no fuss and no time wasted. No issues with having to wait around for your car to recharge…. “Sorry I’m 4 hours late. I ran out of juice and I couldn’t put the solar panel roof back up on the car because I had no power to put up my only source of charging the car.”
Now, here’s the catch…. find at most, two manufacturers that will agree on a single standard battery pack unit that can be interchanged with all their vehicles within their fleet and the other marquees.
SteveC
“Infrastructure is easy” sure but very very very expensive.
They should make a car that runs on Politicians PR bullshit.That way at least politicians will be useful for something and its also an inexhaustable fuel supply.
Electric cars do to the soul of a car enthusiest,what electric chairs do to the body of anyone.
My soul would rejoice if I knew my car exhaust was incapable of killing my children …
“Electric cars do to the soul of a car enthusiest,what electric chairs do to the body of anyone.”
OK, i’ll repost the link since what I saw in the video was a true car enthusiast beat a Ferrai and Porsche in a drag race with an electric car!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXqYbNEiW0Y
“Infrastructure is easy” sure but very very very expensive
true but what infrastructue is cheap?? In my hometown of Sunbury they have just spent 25Mil on less that 5kms of road!!