– By Marc Sibbald –
In the same year the federal government announced a new body to drive the uptake of electric vehicles in Australia the QLD government last week announced a ‘super highway’ of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.
The announcement was welcomed by vehicle manufacturers already selling (or about to launch) EVs and the new Electric Vehicle Council.
Behyad Jafari, Chief Executive Officer at the Electric Vehicle Council, said “The Queensland Government is to be commended for its national leadership in providing electric vehicle infrastructure. Today’s announcement is an important step to supporting the use of electric vehicles.”
“This initial support from government serves as a signal that Queensland is serious about electric vehicles; providing the opportunity for investment to grow our economy and create new, high skilled jobs.”
“I encourage all governments across Australia to follow suit and provide motorists with the support needed to promote electric vehicle uptake.”
Coincidently, the announcement was in the same week the UK government said it would ban diesel and petrol vehicles by 2040.
By providing support for the charging infrastructure the Queensland Government believes it’s playing a leading role in bringing the Australian market up to speed with the transformation already occurring around the world.
There’s no doubt that providing charging infrastructure is an important step to the growth of EVs in Australia and deal with ‘range anxiety’ which has been reported as the biggest hurdle for fleet managers and novated lease drivers to adopt EVs.
Globally there are already two million electric vehicles on the road, with a further one million projected to be sold this year. Without the adequate support, Australia has been falling behind, missing out on significant opportunities for economic investment and the creation of high-skilled jobs.
Paul Sansom, Managing Director at Audi Australia, said in response to the announcement, “Fast-charging infrastructure is of paramount importance to the future success of Electric Vehicles in Australia”.
“By 2020, Audi will have three fully electric vehicles available to the Australian market, and we want to bring this leading-edge technology to our consumers as part of an ownership proposition that gives them confidence in its suitability to our national road network.
“With the vast distances in between our capital cities, consumers need to have confidence that they will be able to find a charging station when they need it, even if they’re driving in an unfamiliar region. This is the current expectation around frequency of petrol stations, and it’s – rightly – what consumers will demand as EVs become more prevalent.
“The Queensland Government should be applauded for their show of leadership, and we look forward to similar initiatives from other states and territories,” said Mr Sansom.
