The Senate Select Committee on Electric Vehicles is visiting EV charger supplier Tritium on September 27, just an hour ahead of the committee’s Brisbane hearing.
Members of the committee, chaired by senator Tim Storer, will tour Tritium’s Murarrie manufacturing workshop.
Founded in 2001, Tritium has nearly 200 staff at the Brisbane factory and has sold 2000 Australian-made charges globally.
It was recently contracted to supply 100 of its newly developed 350kW high-powered chargers across Europe, and has offices in the United States and the Netherlands.
Tritium chief product officer and co-founder Paul Sernia will show committee members around the facility.
Committee members aim to gain a better understanding of the economic opportunities for Australian industry around the global transition to EVs, and what government can do to help. “Tritium’s success is a timely reminder that we have the smarts and skilled labour force to be an advanced manufacturing powerhouse,” Storer says.
“They are successfully using the power of Brand Australia to export high quality Australian-made EV chargers around the world.
“Imagine what Tritium and other Aussie innovators could achieve if we had a national strategy to support the development of the EV industry here in Australia.”
Tim Storer
Storer hopes the enquiry will help towards a more proactive government response to the EV revolution.
Tritium chief executive officer and founder David Finn says it’s the perfect time for the Australian Government to look at the sector, from the vehicles themselves to the infrastructure needed to power them.
“While electric vehicle usage is increasingly common globally, it is still relatively nascent locally and the Government has the opportunity to learn from the rest of the world as we begin to rollout EV infrastructure and adapt to the rise of a new industry.”
Tritium chairman Trevor St Baker says it’s an exciting time for Australia as more people move towards an EV future and aspire to cleaner city air, improved health, reduced gasoline imports and the resulting growth in national GDP.
“The creation of a multi-party Senate Select Committee on Electric Vehicles is welcomed by the industry. There are ample opportunities for Australians to gain from the EV sector, including manufacturing, the roll out of infrastructure and the development of new services, all of which contribute strongly to local job creation,” St Baker says.
“Tritium is a fine example of Australians leading the world from a research and development and manufacturing perspective.”
After visiting Tritium, the committee will hear from a diverse list of witnesses at its fourth hearing, including the Australian Electric Vehicle Association, Jet Charge and Chargefox, St Baker Energy Innovation Fund, Fast Cities Australia, the Australian Automotive Dealer Association, ACE-EV, and the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads.
