NZ’S NEWS SOURCE FOR ELECTRIC, INTELLIGENT AND AUTONOMOUS TRANSPORTATION FEBRUARY 2020 .COM.AU Offer to switch Sydney buses to EVs p2 EV is Wheels Car of the Year p7 EV sales soar p11 NEWSTALK OFFER TO SWITCH SYDNEY BUSES TO EVS n Australian inventor and “I now live in Thailand, where I “Our driveline is motor agnostic; generally industrial designer has manufacture some of my inventions.” the motor will be supplied by the Aoffered the use of Saunders asks the NSW customer,” Saunders says. his EsDrive 1A Driveline Government to provide about Whatever range they would have to the New South Wales $40 million towards the rail line achieved with that motor would be Government to help switch restoration at the equivalent of increased 10-15% due to friction and 8000 Sydney buses to about $5000 in royalties per weight saving.” electric. bus. Saunders sees his proposal as a win all Congratulating NSW transport He includes a few other riders, around. minister Andrew Constance such as providing a $1m bond “It would be getting heaps of [the most on the “very progressive” Stuart Saunders for intellectual property rights in advanced] electric buses on the road and decision to convert the buses, the event confidential technical get the Northern Rivers line going again Stuart Saunders says his offer excludes details of his driveline are released. [with battery electric rail motors] providing a royalty or licensing fee. Instead, he’s Saunders also suggests the transport an hourly service with connection to asking the NSW Government to put department appoint up to two engineers Queensland Rail.” the royalties toward restoration of the to assist with the project. Saunders says it would form a coastal Murwillumbah to Casino (Northern Rivers) He says the EsDrive 1A would particularly line from Cairns to Perth via Byron railway line to form a continuous line from suit public transport because of its low Bay and the Great Australian Bight – Cairns to Perth. unsprung weight and high sprung/ transforming Australian rail sustainably Saunders tells EVtalk he grew up on the unsprung ratio providing a better ride for for locals and tourists. Tweed and trained with Leyland Australia, passengers over bumps as well as being He says the 8000 buses would also back in the days of the Leyland P76. “kinder” to the road. prove his EV driveline’s viability. PEER PRESSURE WOULD AID AUSTRALIAN EV UPTAKE hat your friends and family 2020 which would “focus on think could influence whether practical actions to address Wyou buy an EV and what sort. barriers to EV uptake” and “Prevailing attitudes and social norms” support “Australians who choose are just as important as a vehicle to adopt new technologies”. purchase price, operating cost, range, However, EV sales targets are acceleration and emissions, according unlikely to be set. to Deakin University researcher James A Senate Committee chaired Davidson in his newly released report. by former independent senator “It doesn’t matter how good a vehicle Tim Storer recommended the is or how much it costs, if a potential federal government set targets buyer’s friends and family encourage it for commercial sales and as the right choice that will make the real government vehicles, along with difference.” vehicle emissions standards and are less likely to prefer EVs. The Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport a public awareness campaign to drive “My data showed that if driving is and Regional Economics forecasts 60% EV sales. someone’s preferred mode of transport of new cars sales would be electric by Electric Vehicle Council chief executive – as is common in Australia – they 2046, the Brisbane Times reports. Behyad Jafari agrees the federal are more price-sensitive and place a And it says an EV strategy is expected government should set an EV target. lower value on the attributes of electric to come from energy and emissions Davidson says his survey of about 500 vehicles than those who prefer other reduction minister Angus Taylor mid- Australians on EVs shows keen drivers modes of transport.” 2 | EVTALK FEBRUARY 2020 | www.evtalk.com.au NEWSTALK MOST AUSTRALIAN EVS USE RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY bout 75% of Australian and more than half of that through electric vehicles run on rooftop solar power, about 16% Arenewable energy and using a green power option, around half charge up using 25% a standard grid mix rooftop solar. which may include renewable So says Perth-based energy and 11% through professional services destination charging. for EV options and that their makers company Future Smart Wills is not surprised by tend to release them first in places with Strategies managing director his survey’s result, which Professor Ray Wills appropriate incentives. and EV advocate professor is supported by an Electric He also says a lack of support by Ray Wills, who lectures on climate and Vehicle Council Australia report last year the Australian federal government environmental change at the University of where more than half of the respondents around EVs is detrimental to Australian Western Australia. said they would use renewable energy consumers. About 400 Australian EV drivers responded resources if they wanted to charge an EV. Wills features in a recent podcast about to the Twitter poll where Wills asked where Wills’ Twitter thread includes much the expected impact on energy demand their EV charging power came from. more about EVs, including his belief of Australia’s move from a “dumb” Most say their EVs are charged at home that Australian motorists are starved power grid. EVTALK’S INAUGURAL CONFERENCE co-hosted by Drive Electric & Intelligent Transport Systems NZ PLATINUM SPONSOR: GOLD SPONSOR’S: SILVER SPONSOR’S: The first ever EVtalk conference – EVs and Beyond MARCH 16 & 17 2020 @ The Waiheke Island Resort The conference will feature international and national speakers on a wide range of EV related topics. We will also be looking beyond EVs and discussing progress towards electrification of individual homes and whole communities. Tickets on sale now! $450 includes entry to two day conference – morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea on both days Contact Deborah on [email protected] for more information. EVTALK FEBRUARY 2020 | www.evtalk.com.au | 3 NEWSTALK EV SALES PLUNGE IN CHINA oronavirus is being partly blamed while sales of its internal combustion for China’s slump in EV sales, with engine (ICE) cars rose 18% in January Cvehicle stock and parts shortages – not the sort of trend people were expected elsewhere as a result of plant expecting, Forbes adds. closures. NIO reported just 1598 cars sold in The Chinese automakers’ association January, only 105 of which were its top-of- CPCA predicts the sale of new vehicles the-line ES8 SUVs. could fall by as much as 50% in Tesla sales figures for China are February, following a disastrous January unavailable, but CleanTechnica reports that saw sales plunge 20%, Forbes Tesla’s Shanghai plant was temporarily reports. And the market for EVs is closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. expected to be even worse. China was supposed to be EV boom BAIC was the top EV seller in China in heaven, but overseas media say it’s not shortages after many Chinese plants 2019, with its BJEV model outselling looking that way, especially after the appeared to have closed in response to any other electric car with 150,000 cars country reduced or removed government the virus. sold, but it posted a 54.5% year-on-year incentives for EV purchasers (mainly New Zealand Motor Industry Association decline in BEV sales in January, which short range ones) last year, prompting a chief executive David Crawford is Forbes describes as a “brutal” month for sales slump from which it appeared to be reported as expecting a new vehicle and China’s car industry. recovering until the coronavirus hit. parts shortage later this year as a result, BYD also posted a bad January, its EV That’s left new vehicle suppliers in New saying it will have a global impact. sales falling more than 68% in the month, Zealand and Australia bracing for stock LEAF FALLS IN JAPAN he Nissan Leaf had poor January sales in Japan. TIts sales were a low 753 units for the month – 73% less than a year ago (2833) and the lowest level for January ever, InsideEVs reports. That may have an impact on used Nissan Leaf imports from Japan to New Zealand. The cumulative Leaf sales in Japan amounted to 135,683, InsideEVs says, with nearly 20,000 sold in Japan in 2019. Nissan has announced that on the US market it is moving from monthly to quarterly sales reporting, in line with many other auto manufacturers. InsideEVs earlier reported Japan had The market share was just 0.8% (BEV) registrations in Norway during a surprisingly low rate of plug-in electric (compared to 1.0% in 2018, and 1.1% in January 2020. car adoption and disappointing sales 2017) – low compared to many other The Leaf’s 366 registrations were behind results. countries. the Hyundai Kona Electric, Volkswagen After a 7% decrease in 2018, in 2019 sales Nissan has announced upgrades to its e-Golf, Renault Zoe and the top-of-the- decreased by another 17% year-over-year 2020 Leaf in Japan. table Audi e-tron (902) for the month. The to 43,867. Meanwhile, InsideEVs also reports the BMW i3 and Tesla Model 3 followed after Leaf was third in battery electric vehicle the Leaf. 4 | EVTALK FEBRUARY 2020 | www.evtalk.com.au NEWSTALK EVS RISE AND ICE SINKS 203% jump in Australian electric in China. “EV tech will flood into the UK and vehicles sales for 2019 is “If the Australian EV market had the same stimulate the British economy,” Jafari says.