EMC’s take on Electrifying Transportation
At EMC, we believe industry knowledge is the key to growth, which ultimately our customers benefit from. Whether it is the latest accessory on the market, the latest EV model, government policy on electric vehicles, and the industry as a whole – we make it our business to be informed.
We were lucky enough to be invited to the latest conference on the transportation industry last week: Electrifying transportation. This was facilitated by the University of New South Wales (UNSW), headed by the Digital Grid Institute, a research collaborate of the university which incorporate all areas related to the Electric Vehicle Transportation, including areas of business, law, social science and engineering.
What We Learned...
From the conference a number of educated speakers across industrial and academic levels spoke about the benefits of EV’s, the questions it raises and what it means to potentially transform our transportation industry into Electric. Overall it was conceived that it is important as a society that we continue the conservation into the investment of electric vehicles on our roads, businesses and our homes. In order to not only save our planet, but to ease congestion, and decrease the health risks that traditional petrol fuelled cars can have to consumers.
It was founded that there are three key industry disruptors that affecting Electric Vehicles as a whole; Pricing, Information and Autonomy. The two significant factors to pave the way for an electric future in the transport industry are attitude change and behavioural change. Not just from and individual but as a collective. Price and technology will be a dominant factor in the longevity of the industry to keep us all interested and invested. One key player in the EV industry, the company NRMA quoted that through surveying 40% of motorists will now consider purchasing an Electric Vehicle for personal use, with the hope of price parity by 2024. With transport quoted by the researchers as being the second largest emitter of CO2 globally, companies are getting on board and fast-tracking their way into the electric vehicle sector, with policy makers chasing behind them.
At EMC we have a wide range of customers from mainly commercial outlets and industrial clients, to the domestic user. So here are some key points we took away for your information.
Benefits
Cutting down Carbon Emissions
With the increase of Electric Vehicles, and the decrease of combustion engines, the positive effects on the environment will be considerable. With the Paris agreement being a hot topic globally as governments are being put under the spotlight to improve their behaviour on an attitude and operational level towards climate change to help the target of zero net carbon emissions by 2050.
Health (EMC’S Research)
Let’s face it the overall benefits on our health will be great, there is overwhelming amounts or research out there to suggest that air pollution and public health is impacted, and will worsen if action is not taken. Research from the citizen’s climate lobby has found that motor fuel emit smog promoting hydrocarbons. This is why that on a global and political level change is a must when it comes to changing the way we think about electric vehicles.
Challenges
Range Anxiety
A few speakers mentioned range anxiety, however this fear is starting to dilute from a domestic standpoint. The fear of being left stranded on the side of the road is a still a common barrier for most. The key factor that will change this is infrastructure. The more charging points we have across the country, the better.
Infrastructure
Other main barriers to EV uptake include; lack of charging infrastructure. This research was on behalf of Woollahra, Randwick and Waverley council. To counteract this problem, they have implemented and installed a number of charging stations across the eastern suburbs of Sydney.
The grid infrastructure was a key topic at the conference, and rightly so. With improvements specifically with the grid needed and luckily happening now in the industry which is a big plus! With energy demand and grid stability apps such as Charge Fox; an app mainly used for monitoring charging stations around the country and proudly Australian leading the way into the transition. In terms of charging points as a whole for EV’s they need improvement. This can be changed with making buildings in Australia, such as warehouses and businesses that use electric vehicle ready with inbuilt chargers in car parks and so forth.
Opportunities
- Smart charging, with companies such as Tritium boasting a high powered charger that can charge within 8 minutes!
- We can see that there will be market transformation in ‘smart city’ solutions. With the accelerating adoption on a business and consumer level – the interest is propelling for smart city strategies. To read more take a look at this Smart City guide, a future guide for Electric mobility.
Don’t forget to check us out on Facebook Page for more updates on our products and services here at EMC!