Electric Vehicle and Smart Grid Conference – Novotel Brisbane 21 Oct 2010
Notes by David Wyatt
http://www.evconference.com.au/program
I’ve been interested in this area for a number of years and attended this
conference to get a feel for the current status. I came away convinced that
the transition from internal combustion to Electric Vehicles (EVs) is finally happening.
It seems that a tipping point has been reached and a combination of events
have enabled this transition to now begin in earnest. Energy security and
reliance on imported oil is one of the drivers as is rapid progress in
battery technology.
The development of the Tesla electric sports car by outsiders to the
mainstream motor industry and the lead by Toyota with the Prius hybrid over
the past decade seems to have influenced key decision makers in the
industry.
Electric vehicles are not new and actually preceded internal combustion over
100 years ago. They were replaced because the electric grid was not in place
and battery technology had made little progress in that time until mobile
computers and phones demanded improved batteries. Computer batteries were
used to power the Tesla and extended the range significantly. Battery
technology is now rapidly advancing with technologies from aerospace being
adapted to EVs.
Current status:
1. Mitsubishi have released the first commercial EV in Australia the
MiEV and a number of foundation customers have recently taken delivery.
2. All major motor manufacturers have announced EV models for release
over the next year or two. China aims to dominate this industry (& lithium
supplies)
3. Infrastructure companies are springing up everywhere to roll out
charging stations etc. Currently 8 or 9 charger companies in Australia and
the first charging stations have been installed. Australia is about 2 years
behind Europe and North America where charging infrastructure is being
rapidly rolled out slightly ahead of the introduction of EVs. Initially most
EVs will be commuters charged from home with a range of about 150 Km.
4. The most serious infrastructure player is Better Place
Better Place plans to integrate leasing of batteries charging and robotic
battery swap stations for longer trips. They also plan to integrate off-peak
charging with Smart grids using only renewable energy. By positioning
themselves as a major long term purchaser of renewable energy they will
indirectly support capital investment in renewables and move transport to
zero emissions. Better Place has raised over US$750M in the past 2 years and
has joint ventures with Renault and General Electric and many other
partners. Australian operations begin next year in Canberra with swap
stations between Sydney and Canberra.
5. General Motors have begun to release the Chevy Volt which is an
electric drive with a small petrol generator as backup.
6. The electricity industry is excited by the prospect of new customers
and the prospect of using Smart grids to charge EVs off peak. EVs are seen
as valuable distributed storage systems that can interface with the grids to
both supply and draw power. Projections suggest that the ENTIRE Australian
motor fleet could be powered by off-peak electricity without any addition to
generating capacity. Vehicle emissions would be reduced by 15% using the
existing mix of electricity generation.
7. One area of concern to most involved is the slow progress on
Australian Standard around EVs and associated infrastructure. The global
industry will not wait for Australia to develop its own standards and we
will probably be forced to adopt the European standards.
8. Over time with volume the costs of EVs should be lower than internal
combustion cars as they are much simpler to build and operate with a much
smoother drive and no transmission.
9. EVs and associated infrastructure look set to make a significant
impact over the next 5-10 years. It might be just in time to help insulate
us from the impacts of Peak Oil.