St Baker funds e-mobility research fellowship at University of Queensland

Coal baron and evolving cleantech entrepreneur Trevor St Baker has dipped into the family fund to make a $1.5 million contribution to the establishment of a University of Queensland research fellowship to drive Australian electric vehicle innovation.

The Trevor and Judith St Baker Family Foundation announced on Wednesday that it would contribute half of the cost of a $3 million five-year e-mobility fellowship, whose research would focus on smart-charging infrastructure and tariff schemes to support EV adoption.

Trevor St Baker, who through his ownership of the coal generator Delta Electricity has a foot in both heavy-emitting and low-carbon technology markets, said exponential growth in e-mobility research and innovation was leading to new commercial and job opportunities.

“Brisbane company Tritium is a perfect example of how university innovation can lead to commercialisation,” he said, referring to the EV charging technology company of which he is a chairman and director.

“Tritium has grown from an idea developed by three students from The University of Queensland into a global company that now employs hundreds of people around the world.

“Of those employees, 55 are graduates from Australian universities, which demonstrates the extraordinary opportunity this sector offers.”

Professor Vicki Chen, executive dean at UQ Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, said St Baker Research Fellow in Electromobility would lead research advancing the performance, economics and uptake of e-mobility globally.

“This is a rare opportunity for someone to contribute to research that will inform public policy, investment decisions, technology innovation, business models, and community behaviour in support of the transition to sustainable, low-emission, electric-powered transportation,” Professor Chen said.

“Thanks to the generosity of Trevor and Judith St Baker, UQ will accelerate its position as global leader in e-mobility technology.”

As RenewEconomy reported here, Tritium alongside Evie Networks made almost $40,000 worth of political donations to the Queensland Liberal-National Party in its unsuccessful bid to win the state election in October of last year – despite the party’s lack of any visible EV policy. The Tritium board also features Trevor St Baker’s son, Stephen, and long-time coal business partner Brian Flannery.

And, as pictured above, St Baker was last month awarded an honorary doctorate in Engineering from The University of Queensland, in recognition of his “lifelong contribution to the Australian electricity sector and greater Australian community through his business and philanthropic efforts.”