Plugged In is The Driven’s weekly wrap up of what happened over the past week in the local EV industry and community.
And a lot is happening: from a new line of electric ferries planned by Australian commercial boat company Austal, to the first electric Volvo truck landing in Australia, to Tritium’s new 75kW fast charger online in the Gold Coast.
Week ending January 22, 2021
Austal launched its new Volta electric ferry series
The commercial boat company announced it is launching a series of all-electric ferries powered by lithium-ion batteries starting with a 46 metre “Passenger Express 46V” which can carry 450 passengers 175 nautical miles a day before needing to recharge.
“For any high-speed vessel and even more so for electric-powered ferries, optimising vessel weight and performance is essential – driving not just operating costs, but the size and upfront purchase cost of the batteries and the charging system,” said Austal CEO Paddy Gregg in a statement.
“Austal’s VOLTA series also future-proofs an operators’ fleet by introducing environmentally friendly, ‘green’ technology that already meets widely anticipated, low or zero-emission targets for public transport vehicles and operators, worldwide.”
The first Volvo FL electric truck reached Australian shores
The first Volvo FL Electric truck landed on Australian shores, destined for trials and evaluation with Australian logistics and supply chain company Linfox.
High-speed 75kW charging stations roll out to Gold Coast
Tritium installed its first RTM75 high-speed electric car charger on Queensland’s Gold Coast as part of a plan to roll out 10 75kW charging sites.
Battery scientist Jeff Dahn became chief advisor for Australian-Canadian firm Novonix, on same day he extended his contract with Tesla
Tesla extended its exclusive battery research contract with Dalhousie University team led by Jeff Dahn, who will also now advise to ASX-listed battery materials firm Novonix.
Hyundai Kona EV to be trialled as a police car in Sydney
Hyundai Kona EV to be decked out in blue and white checks, minus the lights and sirens, as part of a 12 month trial as a Crime Prevention Unit car in Penrith.
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.