A new electric car charging station has been installed at King George Square carpark as part of a year-long trial worth $50,000 the industry hopes will fuel demand in a sluggish market.
Of the 2,469,255 registered cars in the state, only 48 are electric, according to latest figures from the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
But the two major private companies funding the trial aren't deterred by the figures.
The project is supported by Brisbane City Council and facilitated by City Hall's sustainability authority CitySmart, but the electric vehicle charging station has been paid for by GE and ERM Power, Australia's fourth largest electricity retailer.
 |
| GE director of ecomagination Ben Waters and ERM Power's electricity sales CEO Mitch Anderson launch Brisbane's first public electric car charging station at King George Square. Photo: Katherine Feeney |
He said the pilot was about getting the ball rolling on what was “an inevitable industry transition”, and would help facilitate a “mass adoption of EVs [electric vehicles]”.
While the electricity at the charge-stations is provided free of charge, users will still have to pay to enter council car-park, albeit at half the price charged to the drivers of normal vehicles, thanks to 50 per cent discount vouchers from council.
Electric vehicles are also relatively more expensive than petrol or diesel powered cars, though prices of some models have dropped $17,000 over the last 18 months, and a range of new family-sized EVs launched by major car-brands has helped make the market more competitive.
CitySmart CEO Megan Houghton acknowledged the trial was working with a small sample size, but she said industry figures indicated major growth in the EV sector was on the horizon.
Ms Houghton said other major capital cities had already installed charging stations motivated by predictions from the Australian Energy Market provision that one in five vehicles would be electric by 2020, and up to 54 per cent by 2030.
“The reality is there is a small penetration in the market at the moment,” she said.
“The point isn't about where the market is today, it's about where the market is going to go.”
Mr Waters said success would depend on the introduction of infrastructure so car owners could achieve the kind of distances managed readily by petrol and diesel vehicles.
“To make electric vehicles work, you need an infrastructure of charging systems that allows people to drive them to an unlimited range,” he said.
“Queensland has big distances, and these cars are good for about 160 kilometres and that's enough for many people in a day.
“If you're coming in from the coast, from the west, a charge station in town is exactly what you need.”
But Mr Waters said plans were in the pipeline for more charging stations across the state, with GE currently in talks with state and federal governments about network support and EV incentives.
He said GE had made submissions to government to look at introducing a rebate scheme in line with the one offered for solar power.
Many countries, including Canada and Denmark, already offer incentives such as tax breaks, rebates, and free parking in major metropolitan areas.
Late last year, the Bligh government announced plans to emulate the international market following calls from major Australian car manufacturers.
The Driving Change: Queensland's Electric Vehicle Policy included charging stations at government buildings and at park-and-rides across the city, and was due to be rolled out this year by the Department of Environment and Resources Management with money from the Queensland Climate Change Fund.
But the fund was abolished by the Newman government after the March election as part of a drive to find $431.2 million in savings through the axing of state-based climate schemes. DERM was also restructured and split into several new departments.
Environment Minister Andrew Powell acknowledged the program to install electric vehicle charging stations in the Brisbane area was among the previous Government’s climate programs that had now ended.
"No public charging stations were installed before the program ended,'' he said.
Mr Waters said government remained supportive of funding proposals for the EV industry.
“I think they're considering it,” he said.
Meanwhile ERM Power's electricity sales chief executive Mitch Anderson said the power retailer was in the process of negotiating with Brisbane building owners to provide similar charging stations for tenants' use.
Mr Anderson said the announcement about that trial was imminent.
“Our experience will be used as a case study to provide advice to our business electricity customers, which include some of Australia's largest corporate, industrial and government organisations,” he said.
“In a few years from now I would expect to see electric vehicles prevalent in the corporate fleets of Australia."
Mr Anderson the running costs of an EV charged on peak power was half that of non-EV cars, with off-peak electricity bringing the running cost down to one-fifth that of a petrol or diesel car.
http://brisbanetimes.drive.
No comments:
Post a Comment