Post Category → Transport

Exploring the feasibility of electric vehicle travel for remote communities in Australia

New paper out today showing that current EVs would be able to service the vast majority (93%+) of residents of remote communities in northern Australia (under simplified assumptions).

My take aways:

  • We cannot leave these communities out of our clean transport plans (as we did with clean electricity) – they are not in the “too hard basket”
  • If EVs can service trips in remote communities their ranges are likewise sufficient for regional communities – who too have received less support for electrification
  • Charging infrastructure – especially in regional and remote service towns – is now the missing piece of the puzzle

The media’s takes:

  • The Guardian “Regional residents at risk of being ‘last people in the world’ driving petrol cars due to misconception electric vehicle batteries lack range” (a stretch perhaps)
  • Cosmos Magazine “Electrification shouldn’t ignore remote communities.” (nailed it!)

Article is here and abstract and link to free to access pre-print are below

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FACTS – a Framework for an Australian Clean Transport Strategy

I was part of a team of 18 independent experts (academics) who developed a comprehensive framework for decarbonising the Australian transport sector in a manner consistent with international best practice (eg shifting trips to public and active transport) and climate science to keep warming within 1.5d.

Below are some takeout snapshots. The full report is available at transportfacts.org and a summary was published in The Conversation.

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Providing electric vehicle charging at ANU

As life continues to return to the ANU campus we’re finally able to announce that we’re providing free electric vehicle charging – powered by the DERlab.

Vice Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt said: “I see this as the first small step, or a precursor to having charging available more broadly on campus. I envision a set of EV parking spots will be rolled out across campus in the years to come so people can plug in and charge their EV while the sun is shining and the energy is cheap, rather than, like me, going home when the sun has set and plugging in.

“Here at ANU we are a community of 20,000 people, we have the opportunity to lead the way, implement our own knowledge and show the world how to do it. We will have to make some sacrifices to get ANU Below Zero by 2030 but our community is right behind it,” said Professor Schmidt.

Full story @ BSGIP website

Examining the vehicle-to-grid niche in Australia through the lens of a trial project

We have a new paper in the journal Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions.

Highlights

  • Vehicle-to-grid is viewed as a sub-niche of electric vehicles and distributed energy.
  • Vehicle-to-grid is in an embryonic stage of development in Australia.
  • Proponents hold strong long-term visions, but are unsure how to get there.
  • Learning has focused on problem solving; other types of learning are lacking.
  • More experimentation, involvement of new actors and embedding are required.
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EV chargers for V2G and V2H to arrive in Australia within weeks

From James Purtill in the ABC

A new kind of charger that allows an electric vehicle (EV) to be used as a giant home battery is close to going on sale in Australia, with the first commercial shipment to arrive within weeks.

Unlike standard one-way EV chargers, bidirectional chargers can also discharge energy from an EV, which means they can be used to power a home (known as vehicle-to-home or V2H) and its appliances, or to export energy to the grid (vehicle-to-grid or V2G).

This may sound simple, but bringing them to Australia has proven difficult.

For years, a mix of regulatory and engineering hurdles have repeatedly pushed back the technology’s rollout date.

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