Australia ups EV game

The Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) also wants to reduce the cost of EVs by about $7,000 per car for consumers. "By providing discounted finance through the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, it is hoped we can encourage a greater uptake of electric vehicles and reduce emissions,” said Josh Frydenberg, the country’s Minister of Environment and Energy. The EVC also noted that if the country achieves the desired amount of EV sales by 2030, carbon emissions will decrease by 18 million tons. Ten auto brands, along with a new Australian startup, will introduce new electric cars in Australia by 2020.The first Australian-made EV will be manufactured in Queensland. ACE Electric Vehicles, which began as an energy management company, is creating a vehicle with a 40-kilowatt battery and an impressive range of 350 kilometres. “We are proud to be launching our first range of Australian electric vehicles,” ACE Electric Vehicles managing director Greg McGarvie told the Sydney Morning Herald. “This is now a realistic proposition since our agreements on a new patented manufacturing process for electric vehicles.” The first two models are a truck called the Yewt – a play on the Antipodean term ute, for a utility vehicle – and a cargo van. Both will be priced at less than AUS$40,000 and are designed for cities, with an expected range of 350 km from a 40 kWh battery. Two more vehicles are in the works for anticipated releases in 2019. The Hyundai Kona Electric, the lux Audi e-tron, the Mercedes-Benz EQC SUV, the Volvo XC40, the sleek Porsche Mission E, and the 2018 Nissan Leaf are just a few of the impressive models that will enter the market. Australia is joining other countries who have successfully incorporated EVs into their car market. The US plans to have several million EVs on the road in the next five years. In India, ride-sharing app Ola will have 1 million EVs on the road in the by 2021. Norway also plans for 100 per cent of its new vehicles sold to be electric by 2025.