The BYD Tang. Source: BYD
Nexport, the electric bus company that also launched electric taxi network eTaxiCo in Sydney is now looking to do something much bigger, hinting it has plans to upturn the local auto industry and dramatically increase the number of electric vehicles in Australia.
In a promotional video on the company’s new website, Nexport CEO Luke Todd has shared just a little of what the company has planned, including EV imports and a commitment to start making electric vehicles in Australia within 5 years.
“We will be bringing production back to Australia. We have a five-year roadmap to bring full production back to Australia,” says Todd.
“We will be starting with importing vehicles and doing an engineering upgrade for the Australian market and then over five years we will be producing cars in full in Australia.:
He also hints at a new platform that would link drivers directly with car makers to ensure Australia gets the best chance to experience the latest electric vehicles.
“Not only are we bringing new vehicles to Australia but we are launching a new platform called EVdirect which will bring EV cars direct from the manufacturer to the customer,” he says.
According to Todd, Nexport’s plan will “completely revolutionise electric vehicles in Australia. We are not talking about future technology, we have the opportunity to make a real impact now.”
There is no official word as yet on what kind of electric vehicles Nexport is planning to bring in, but we note that it is operating a number of BYD e6’s under its eTaxiCo service in Sydney – BYD being one of China’s largest electric car makers, with the BYD standing for “Bring Your Dreams”.
Nexport also told a NSW parliamentary inquiry into electric buses recently that it has plans to partner with the Chinese EV maker to establish a bus making facility in the southern New South Wales town of Nowra.
Nexport is supported by TrueGreen Group, which says it “manages investments across sectors of sustainability including Low Emissions Transport, Green Building Manufacturing, Indigenous Project Participation and Renewables and Remediation.”
Other companies under the TryeGreen Group umbrella include Gemilang, eTaxiCo, and Electric Trucks Australia (which notably Nexport’s website says will launch in 2021 in collaboration with BYD).
It also includes Eve Machina, Nexport’s EV design arm which according to the website aims to “positively engineer market disruption.”
A final piece to the puzzle is a division called “Nexport e-Tech” which the company’s website says will envelope a range of driver assist and autonomous 5G technologies (and which notably also includes an image of the BYD Han, the first vehicle to use 5G-enabled communications systems according to Nexport).
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.
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