As the electric vehicle transition begins to pick up pace in Australia, we have launched a new weekly feature to give you a round up of what’s happened each week in the local EV industry and community.
And there’s a lot happening, regardless of the thin support from government to accelerate Australia towards clean, zero emissions transport.
Week ending October 30, 2020
Tesla locks in Chatswood site opposite Bunnings
Word has it that Tesla’s expansion continues, with a Chatswood site apparently now pegged to replace the closed St Lenoards location.
According to Tesla vlogger “Tesla Tom”, the future site will be opposite Bunnings. The site will include a service centre, showroom and maybe Superchargers although they may not be available for public use.
Apparently, it will be opening in November, although as this is now only a few days away, watch this space.
Future site of @Tesla Showroom & Service Centre in Chatswood, Sydney
????❤️????????Opposite @Bunnings @BridieEV @TheDriven_io @EVCouncil pic.twitter.com/87GMomGsnz
— Tesla Tom ???????? #FSDbetaAU ???? (@_TeslaTom) October 25, 2020
Meriton installs 6 new EV charging bays at Pagewood Green, Sydney
Residential apartment developer Meriton has installed a bank of electric car chargers at Pagewood Green in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.
Reportedly its biggest project to date, the $3 billion residential hub now includes six EV charging bays installed by evse.com.au, which consist of 22kW, three phase chargers that can add 120km driving range per hour.
Canberra radio presenter foils Model 3 attempted theft
Canberra radio presenter Annabelle Brett made it onto TV this week after she foiled a car thief who was trying to steal her Tesla Model 3.
According to Brett, who shared the experience in a Facebook group, she was alerted to the attempted theft by a notification on her phone that the car had been unlocked.
After following the car down the street, she captured the thieves on video who then dumped the vehicle in a car park. It is understood that the thieves had stolen a key card from her apartment to access the vehicle.
Nexport to import four BYD electric models in big EV import plan
Nexport, the company that has plans to kickstart a NSW car making industry with a $700 million factory in the Southern Highlands, has outlined its EV import program that will help drivers bypass car dealers to get their hands on “more affordable” EVs.
In The Driven podcast with Giles Parkinson and in this article here, Nexport’s Luke Todd shared that the first EVs to be made available by EV Import are four BYD electric cars from China.
They will include the BYD Tang SUV, the BYD Song PHEV crossover, the BYD Qin sedan and the high-end BYD Han, ranging from a price of $A59,000 to $A99,000.
Tesla Model 3 triumphs at Targa West rally, helped along with a Hyundai Kona Electric
Gemtek’s Tesla Model 3 landed a milestone win at the 2020 Targa West rally last weekend, not only beating a Holden Commodore VF SS V in the 130 class but also beating contenders in the next class, the 165 category.
Importantly, the win was made possible by a series of mobile charging units doctored by Jon Edwards, a retired engineer who modified his own Hyundai Kona Electric to become a V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle) charger.
“First” vehicle-to-grid electric car charger goes on sale in Australia
What is thought to be the first publicly available vehicle-to-grid charger is now available in Australia, albeit for the hefty price of just shy of $10,000.
The Indra V2G “smarter charger” will be imported by EV-NRG, and has two years solid background being used as part of the UK’s 300+ V2G charger Project Scirius underwritten by Innovate UK.
BOC to supply solar electrolysers to power Fortescue hydrogen bus fleet
Mining company Fortescue has secured a deal with gas supplier BOC which will supply the company with solar-powered electrolysers to make “green” hydrogen for its fuell cell bus fleet.
According to a report by Michael Mazengarb, ten hydrogen buses that transport 3,000 mine workers to Fortescue’s Christmas Creek mine will be powered by the BOC installation, which will source solar power the 60MW Chichester solar farm being constructed nearby.
Hyundai New Zealand recalls 700 Kona electrics, Australia may be next
700 New Zealand Kona Electric owners have been issued a recall after a spate of battery fires in home country South Korea.
While Hyundai Australia has not yet issued a recall, it told The Driven that it is, “currently awaiting confirmation from our parent company regarding this potential recall.”
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.