EV

Last year the New South Wales Government announced plans to retire several of the iconic Manly ferries and replace them with smaller vessels. However, the recent launch of the world’s largest electric ferry in Norway has one Aussie billionaire asking whether the new Manly ferries should be electric?

Australia’s laggardly uptake of electric vehicles is set for a boost after Origin Energy announced a partnership with Custom Fleet to provide a holistic solution to EV fleet transition. Fleet cars make up almost half of all new car sales in Australia and upgrading Australia’s commercial vehicles to electric is seen as key to reducing transport emissions.

With reins tightly held by China, a handful of players are trying to prise the production of a core ingredient of lithium-ion batteries out of Goliath’s hand before the battery boom begins in earnest with the electrification of the transport sector. The head of one of those companies, WA start-up International Graphite, spoke to pv magazine Australia about the hunger of both investors and customers, and the surprisingly collaborative race to feed global demand.

Australia’s infrastructure advisory body has added a number of renewable energy-related projects to its priority list, recognising the need for investment in the “once-in-a-lifetime transition from thermal generation to intermittent renewables.”

The first round of funding for the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s Future Fuels Fund is now open to applicants. The first round will look to expand the fast charging network for battery electric vehicles in Australia’s major population centres in an effort to encourage the individual and fleet transition to electric vehicles.

BHP has started the year by signing a PPA that will halve emissions at its Nickel West Kwinana refinery and double its green cred as a supplier to environmentally conscious lithium-ion battery manufacturers.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency is funding Jemena to the tune of $1.6 million toward a new trial in which various electricity networks in Victoria, ACT, and Tasmania will manage residential EV charging to better prepare the grid for a time when mass charging will take place at peak periods.

“Australians should be able to choose the type of car they drive,” said the Federal Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Angus Taylor on Friday when he released a national plan to reduce carbon emissions from Australia’s road transport sector — a plan without a target, without incentives, and with relatively meagre investment in bringing about essential change.

New South Wales’ Lismore City Council will construct a carpark solar shade structure and an electric vehicle charging station funded through a Federal Government grant.

Australia’s Rectifier Technologies has unveiled its latest electric vehicle charging technology, which the company says is flexible, reduces grid stains and opens the door to High Powered Charging in urban areas.