Electric and autonomous vehicles are the key to unlocking the nation\u2019s clean energy revolution and will be critical in reaching Australia\u2019s aggressive emissions targets, a SXSW panel featuring senior executives from Uber,<\/strong> Polestar <\/strong>and JOLT <\/strong>has revealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The panel discussion \u201cCharged for Change: how electric vehicles (EVs) and autonomous vehicles (AVs) are driving the energy revolution globally<\/em>\u201d, held at the SXSW Conference in Sydney this week, featured three of the nation\u2019s leading experts in the EV and AV industry, sharing their thoughts on the evolution of the sector and what is needed for the next phase of EV adoption nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The panel, which was moderated by the Guardian\u2019s Head of Commercial Content, Sharnee Rawson,<\/strong> included JOLT CEO, Doug McNamee<\/strong>, Uber Australia and New Zealand Managing Director, Emma Foley,<\/strong> and Polestar Head of Marketing, Jonathan Williams.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n The speakers explored the recent explosion of Australia\u2019s EV market \u2013 last month alone, 11.3% of new cars sold in Australia were battery electric, with more than 100 different EV options now available for drivers*.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are living in a golden age in Australia when it comes to [EV] choice,\u201d Williams<\/strong> said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEven going back four years, the market was very different; Australia was right at the back of the queue globally. Now, we\u2019ve become the most abundant market for EVs in the world and that\u2019s down to a few factors – we\u2019re tariff free, so there\u2019s no restrictions on bringing cars into Australia, and there\u2019s well-defined incentives in the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re now one of the most competitive markets for EVs and we\u2019re seeing them come into every category, from utes to luxury cars. The reality is that the EV market is going to look a lot like the old car market in the future where you have options for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The panel also discussed the changing EV buyer mindset, shifting from early adopters who were looking for a tech-forward, cost-saving purchase, to today\u2019s buyer, who is more about the driving experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe nature of buyers has changed,\u201d Williams<\/strong> said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe first EV buyers were buying for quite rational reasons \u2013 it was about savings on fuel and getting them around in a relatively comfortable way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow, buyers are more emotional, they\u2019re making heart purchases, and it\u2019s become more mainstream – they want to buy an EV for the feeling or the driving experience \u2013 they\u2019re looking for something that\u2019s exciting, faster, smoother and quieter.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The future of EV adoption was also a hot topic, particularly what infrastructure was needed nationwide to support mass EV uptake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe perception and the reality around EV adoption is very different. The underlying EV adoption curve is probably steeper and faster than a lot of people realise. We\u2019ve seen double digit growth month-on-month as far as charging utilisation sessions and people joining the JOLT network,\u201d McNamee<\/strong> said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs we look towards 2030, EV adoption needs to massively accelerate. We need to be getting to 50% to 60% of new cards sold being EVs to be able to hit anywhere near the EV adoption targets. The reality is that we\u2019re not going to reach Australia\u2019s aggressive emissions targets without more EVs on the road.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Foley<\/strong> agreed, saying Uber is speeding up, not slowing down, to become a zero emissions platform.. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s something we\u2019ve prioritised because our drivers do four times the kilometres of the average driver, so for every rideshare car to electrify, that delivers an outsized impact on overall vehicle emissions\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The panel agreed that the accessibility and availability of EV charging stations was critical in pushing the needle forward on EV adoption, calling on the government to implement a structured roll-out of additional infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reinforcing this, McNamee<\/strong> said: \u201cInfrastructure needs a structured approach, from top to tail in government, in how you roll it out. It\u2019s hard to build a charger in Australia \u2013 when we compare to markets that are moving faster, we have to look at how to get rid of that tension and red tape to move the system faster, so that people can go out and build large-scale charging programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe need to shift the focus away from driving consumer demand to enabling consumer demand. Enacting government policies that help all the layers get aligned is key – it\u2019s how we enable local government to have the right people in the right place to roll out chargers, how we think about reducing planning times, and how we think about speeding up grid connections.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n AVs are also set to be a gamechanger for the sector, the panel said, but building consumer trust would be critical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe message around AVs is that the technology is ready, it\u2019s on roads and it\u2019s working, and it will probably be here sooner than you think,\u201d Foley<\/strong> said. \u201cThe technology and the vehicle production is scaling rapidly – we hope it won\u2019t be long until we see AVs on the road in Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut getting AVs on the road comes down to trust \u2013 it\u2019s not the product or the technology that\u2019s going to hold it back, it\u2019s people feeling comfortable in the cars. We need to get the regulatory settings right too, to help secure consumer trust in the whole experience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking to the future, the panel said they were excited about the potential scale and size of Australia\u2019s EV industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve seen a dramatic shift in the quality of vehicles coming out and the amount of technology in the market and that\u2019s going to continue to accelerate – we\u2019re excited about the transition,\u201d McNamee<\/strong> said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re also exploring the future of EV charging as a business and how you build a sustainable business in this area. Combining it with advertising is our approach as it allows us to offset the costs of running high-quality infrastructure in markets that otherwise couldn\u2019t necessarily sustain it. We know we can build a charger anywhere \u2013 it\u2019s how you afford to do it at a scale that delivers reliability that is the challenge; the idea of advertising as a public utility mechanism is incredibly powerful.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think we\u2019ve crossed the threshold, where EVs have earned their place as the future of driving. People are now wanting to buy an EV for the passion and the joy of driving, and it\u2019s great to see,\u201d Williams<\/strong> said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Source: *The Driven & EVC<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" JOLT, Uber and Polestar senior executives share insights on how electric and autonomous vehicles are driving the green communities of the future Electric and autonomous vehicles are the key to unlocking the nation\u2019s clean energy revolution and will be critical in reaching Australia\u2019s aggressive emissions targets, a SXSW panel featuring senior executives from Uber, Polestar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":6742,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n