EV

Anglo-Australian multinational Rio Tinto has invested in European-based battery technology and manufacturing company Inobat Auto with the mining giant aiming to extend its operations throughout the electric vehicle battery value chain in Europe.

Urban transportation is key to modern civilization. It has enabled humans to travel long distances and is one of the building blocks of industry and leisure. But it has come at a cost. In the first quarter of 2022, pv magazine’s UP Initiative will focus on the rise of e-mobility. We will examine urban transportation and the role electric vehicles, trains, and two- and three-wheelers can play in greening the electricity grid. In addition to technological innovation, we will also investigate market projections, the policies and infrastructure required, and the role solar and storage will play in taking this nascent industry full throttle.

The Victorian government has today announced it will put $5 million towards installing fast-charging stations across the state and $3 million in new charging infrastructure grants for local council and business fleets. The government also simplified access to its $3,000 electric vehicle subsidy, saying the program has led to a 200% sales increase in the last six months.

Australian energy storage company VSUN Energy claims to have identified the ‘missing piece of the renewable energy jigsaw’ after successfully testing a standalone electric vehicle battery charger using solar PV supplied by a vanadium redox flow battery.

Brisbane-based startup Evos has unveiled its first electric vehicle charger, boasting simple installation and transportability as well as the company’s own energy management software. The charger will be available from next month.

Researchers at the University of Queensland will conduct an international trial to assess if the spare battery capacity in electric vehicles could be used to accelerate the rollout of renewable energy, support the electricity network, and potentially power homes in the future.

A report published by BloombergNEF for the COP26 climate change summit has listed global commitments by cities, states, provinces and nations to end the sale of new fossil-fuelled vehicles but, with 2035 estimated as the cut-off date for zero-emission roads by mid century, policymakers need to be more ambitious.

The Morrison government today released its long-awaited electric vehicle strategy which contains neither fuel efficiency standards nor financial support for Australians buying cleaner vehicles. The strategy’s main centrepiece is an additional $178 million for its Future Fuels Fund. Rather tellingly, the strategy has been summed up “better than nothing”.

In the coming weeks, Western Australian mining-cum-materials recovery company Neometals will begin testing at its newly commissioned battery recycling demonstration plant in Hichenbach, Germany, the product of a joint venture with SMS Group. The Primobius facility, as it’s named, has already garnered considerable attention and is a finalist in 2022’s prestigious German Sustainability Award. “We want Primobius to be the preeminent recycler in the world,” the company’s managing director, Chris Reed, told pv magazine Australia.

Reports calculated that the single order would be enough to support production of 800,000 vehicles.