A solar autonomous vehicle (AV) project in Melbourne is supported by $2 million funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
The fund will aid commercialisation of an Applied Electric Vehicles (AEV) prototype AV powered through a solar PV roof and a lithium-ion battery for short, low-speed trips with passengers and for commercial use in agriculture and industry as well.
That comes just after the Morrison government announced a $350m clean energy research initiative to develop a national strategy integrating EV charging stations into the grid.
The government is investing $68.5 million in the Reliable Affordable Clean Energy for 2030 (RACE for 2030) Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) to improve energy affordability and reliability, and help Australia play its role in reducing global emissions.
The CRC has generated around $280m in cash and in-kind contributions from industry and researchers to drive its work, supported by the government’s investment under round 21 of the CRC program.
A distributed energy grid could use power from large plants as well as smaller sources such as rooftop solar, using smart technology.
Benefits could include reducing energy costs by up to 25%, reducing emissions by up to 20 million tonnes, and an $8 billion economic benefit by 2034.
The government is also expected to release an EV strategy by mid-2020, aimed at removing barriers to EV uptake.
