As the electric vehicle transition begins to pick up pace in Australia, we have launched a 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, although not in last month’s auto sales, nor at a federal level as Ketan Joshi notes on Renew Economy.
Week ending December 4, 2020
NSW announces first 50 electric buses for full 8,000 fleet transition, with another 70 on order
The Liberal NSW government will begin transitioning the entire state bus fleet to zero emissions transport within the decade, starting with 120 electric buses in 2021.
Electric busses in Sydney. Still get excited when I see one. Whisper quiet and not pumping noxious emissions into our communities. The New South Wales govern plans to transition the entire state bus fleet to zero-emission technology. #ev #electricbus #sydney pic.twitter.com/PzT4Uf5LYP
— EV Brief Podcast (@evbriefpodcast) November 6, 2020
Senior NSW ministers contradict treasurer Perrottet on EV tax while ACT ponders fair road tax reform
Senior ministers Matt Kean and Andrew Constance in NSW and ACT chief minister Andrew Barr extinguish ideas of following other states in adding an EV tax, a move that is at odds with other jurisdictions around the world.
Victoria introduces fines for petrol, diesel and hybrids parking in EV spots
From December 1, combustion engine and non-pluggable hybrid vehicles are now risking being fined if found parking in electric car parking spots – a small concession for EV owners in wake of EV tax shock.
Western Australia FINALLY announced it will roll out an EV charging network – but is it enough?
WA to build the country’s longest EV charging network, and sets 25% government fleet target, but the lack of ambition disappoints environmental groups.
Queensland announces it will trial five fuel cell Hyundai Nexos to underpin state’s bid to become a leader in clean hydrogen
Queensland Labor government to trial five FCEVs powered by “home-grown” hydrogen to underpin development of local hydrogen industry.
Ampol opened its third ultra-fast EV charging spot at a petrol station
Fuel giant Ampol unveiled the third ultra-fast spot at its service station forecourt in Seven Hills, Sydney.
Electric Vehicle Council releases local government resource pack
The how-to-guide outlines policy options from charging networks, charging strategies to development control plans for electric vehicles.
“We know decision makers in local government are interested in exploring the many benefits of switching to electric vehicles, but many are put off by not knowing where to start,” Electric Vehicle Council chief executive Behyad Jafari said.
“This new guide steps through what’s required and how to ensure the switch works for local government. Local governments across Australia are already implementing policies to encourage the use of electric vehicles, at a fleet, community, and consumer level.
“Local government is leading the way and showing state and federal governments how it should be done, which is reflected in a number of case studies highlighted in the how-to-guide.”
Melbourne’s Savic unveiled the first Australian designed and built high performance electric motorbike
Melbourne-based Savic unveils its new C-Series cafe racer style bike, understood to be the first Australian-made high-performance electric motorbike.
Brisbane City opts for 2,000 electric bike in new micromobility sharing program
Brisbane to ditch ill-fated CityCycle program which has been draining city funds in favour of electric bikes.
Tesla Model S and Model X owners can now purchase an Infotainment upgrade
MCU1 to MCU2 upgrade available in Australia for pre-March 2018 – straight from @teslaownersau newsletter.
Thank you @elonmusk and @tesla! Been looking forward to this upgrade for a loooong time pic.twitter.com/ro33hL2Tgx
— Tesla Tom 🇦🇺 #FSDbetaAU 🙏 (@_TeslaTom) November 27, 2020
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.