Electric Vehicle Council - Impacts on Strata

Strata buildings to face accelerated demand for electric vehicle charging pushed by new Electric Vehicle Council

With the launch of the national Electric Vehicle Council this week, Strata managers across Australia need to be aware of the huge government and industry push toward electric vehicle adoption and the impacts on strata.

The Council was launched on Monday at Parliament House in Canberra.  Bolstered by a $390,000 grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.  Supporting EV uptake is part of ARENA's investment priorities in 2017 under the banner of Energy Productivity. ​​​

Federal Minister for Environment and Energy, Mr Frydenberg said that increasing the uptake of electric and lower emissions vehicles was "an important part of the Turnbull government's broader strategy to reduce emissions".

​Strata managers can already benefit from government funding programs to get ahead of the game. Residential strata buildings in the City of Sydney and now Queensland can register for a fully funded assessment and roadmap for electric vehicle charging facilities.  

The Council’s chair,  Behyad Jafari said “In addition to introducing vehicle emission standards, key policy measures include incentivising electric vehicle purchase in the short term as the technology works to meet price parity through upfront incentives and taxation measures, as well as establishing a recommended roadmap for national public charging infrastructure."

Members of the Council currently include ActewAGL, AGL Energy, Synergy and Transgrid; car makers Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Tesla and Volkswagon Group; infrastructure and fleet businesses JET Charge and Lennock Fleet; not-for-profit ClimateWorks Australia; Project engineering firm ITP Renewables and motoring club Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV).
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Electric Vehicle Council launch at Parliament House with Minister for Environment and Energy Josh Frydenberg, Minister for Urban Infrastructure Paul Fletcher, AGL CEO Andy Vesy and Mitsubishi CEO Mutsuhito Oshikiri.

According to Jafari more than one million electric vehicles are projected to be sold over the next 12 months with more than $50 billion invested in the industry globally over the next ten years.  ​​​It is clear the intent of the new Council is to promote rapid electric vehicle adoption in Australia.

Council member Scott Ferraro, ClimateWorks Australia's head of Implementation, said that the funding from ARENA would support a broader effort to educate and engage Australians about electric vehicles, while also undertaking research on the best policies to drive greater uptake, particularly at the early stages in order to increase model choice and infrastructure.

Mr Ferraro commented "The Council will also publish a state of electric vehicles report annually so we can monitor progress on the transition of the Australian fleet"

According to a study by Climate Works, even using Australia's coal dominated National Electricity Market to charge cars still reduces emissions.  However according to Ferraro if Australia meets its 2020 renewable energy target "when powered by renewable energy, electric vehicles are zero emission vehicles". 

Fellow Council member AGL CEO Andy Vesey said "We are committed to leading the development of distributed energy technologies and are on our way to operating the largest fleet of plug-in vehicles of any Australian business.  We encourage Australian governments and companies to meet or better our EV uptake commitment".  AGL Energy has set a goal to achieve 10% electric vehicles in its fleet by 2018.

Governments are responding.  The NSW government strategic plan to reach "zero net emissions" target by 2050 included significant attention on electric vehicles.  The report noted a high level of latent demand for EVs coupled with supply constraints.  To stimulate EV supply and charging infrastructure the Government may lead the way by mandating electric vehicles in their fleets.

Strata managers should be aware that major cities and high density urban environments are likely to see the fastest adoption of electric vehicles.  Issues are already starting to  surface as the industry grapples with emerging demand for charging facilities, capacity issues and energy theft.

​For further information about electric vehicle funding for strata customers try Smart Strata or Strata Energy News.  Buildings can currently be registered in the City of Sydney and now Queensland.

For further reading on the Electric Vehicle Council try Australian Financial Review, Sydney Morning Herald, Electric Vehicle News, Motoring, and Renew Economy.

Ross McIntyre
Contributor, Strata Energy News 
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