Electric vehicles may thrive or dive depending on May 18 federal election results and the aftermath.
Senator and EV advocate Tim Storer puts his case in this issue, although he’ll be election watching from the sidelines after deciding to stand down to spend more time with his family.
Advances in EVs have “staggered” EVtalk publisher Vern Whitehead, reporting back from conferences in Norway and Germany.
And now seems to be a good time for Tesla tours of Australia. An Italian has just completed his Down Under sojourn while a Swiss couple also on a global Tesla trip are embarking on their Australian journey under the title ‘Mr and Mrs T on Tour’.
All the talk has been about battery electric vehicles (BEVs), but energy expert Stephanie Moroz aims to provide a balanced discussion about other alternative fuels such as hydrogen at May’s National Clean Technology Conference and Expo on the Sunshine Coast.
We review the Britz electric campervan, with several rental campervan companies in New Zealand now turning to electrics.
Australian apartment dwellers are being given the opportunity to plug in their EVs, at least in Sydney where EVSE Australia is installing 40 charging stations at the Infinity Cove project. It’s putting another 22 chargers in a St Leonards Square apartment development by Mirvac which has others installed in some shopping centres ready for EV using customers and retailers.
But EVs are struggling along in the latest vehicle statistics, with hybrids still a popular choice in many categories – pundits wondering whether that will change after this Saturday’s election, especially as vehicle sales generally are down.
The likes of the Electric Vehicle Council of Australia and others suggest a national EV target and incentives to boost EV uptake.
Incentives are not just an Australian theme – New Zealanders are demanding more in that line from their central government as well with the increase in EVs on a par with previous months and seeming to plateau.
Also in our ‘Across the Ditch’ section, we look at moves to provide electric campervans for tourists like Australians visiting New Zealand shores who want to travel with minimal environmental impact.
So check out the latest in EVtalk Australia.
