The Victorian Transport Association (VTA)’s Alternative Fuel Summit on 19 November united industry leaders to discuss decarbonisation in Australia’s freight industry.
Among the event’s various speakers and presentations, the ‘Cost of Transition’ panel allowed audience members to ask real questions on how transitioning to alternative fuel would effect businesses and consumers.
The panel consisted of JET Charge co-founder and CEO Tim Washington, Freight Victoria Director of Policy and Strategy Andrew Newman, Swinburne University research professor Dr Hadi Ghaderi and Gallagher Head of Climate and Sustainability Sophie Griffin.
Infrastructure and the costs of battery-electric vehicles(BEV) adoption were again hot topics.
Reports from the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) on charging patterns of consumer EVs in the country found that the majority of Australian consumers are choosing to self manage their EV charging.
Surveying 1506 EV owners–1406 of which could charge their vehicles at home–49 per cent wanted to retain control of their EV charging to take advantage of off-peak and solar pricing, thereby reducing energy costs.
According to Washington, this trend in lowered energy cost for EVs will be seen taking affect in the commercial sector.
“Charging stations will come down in price, have come down in price and will continue to go down in price,” he said.
“We also need to know if the price per kilowatt per hour over a 10 year period is going down, because it’s not just about the upfront cost of the infrastructure. And I can confidently say yes. It’s all coming down.”
According to Washington, this price reduction will deliver significant savings and additional profits to transitioning businesses.
However, these comments did not acknowledge the resale value of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), an issue pointed out by one leasing operator later in the event.
Additionally, Washington was optimistic about the simplicity of using BEVs for drivers as well as the benefits they brought to long transport journeys.
“Teaching someone plugging and charging, of a truck or van, is not difficult,” Washington said.
“That won’t be a barrier. And one other benefit I’ve realised is that when you’re on the road, the vehicle is your workplace. If we want all of our colleagues to have good working environments, we should be actively working to try and improve them.
“I believe that battery electric options improve the workplace for almost everybody because they offer a quieter ride and a smoother ride for drivers.
“There will undoubtedly be some adjustments that come with the transition, but I think those amenities will uplift drivers.”
Additionally, concerns regarding the operational feasibility of BEVs, particularly in regard to their access at certain times of the day and operations in areas of congestion and frequent stoppage were directed to Andrew Newman from Freight Victoria.
Newman nominated local councils as the main solution providers for these issues.
“A key part of the transition is going to figure out how we actually operate [BEVs],” he said.
“Congestion, access, these are all challenges for BEVs when travelling a long way. We definitely need a solution from councils in terms of them providing access to BEVs, because currently they are islands of their own authority.
Newman said policy would need to greatly support the industry as a way to kickstart demand for alternative fuel technologies in the broader Australian market.
“I fear that there are going to be points where the equipment is ready, but the demand is not there,” he said.
“Or later on, the demand will be there but the equipment won’t be. I think policy is going to have to be really close to the industry. A bit of targeted action will be needed to ensure that the relationship with supply and demand continues to head in the right direction.”
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