Preparing Australia for an electric vehicle future

Preparing Australia for an electric vehicle future

Electric vehicles will be a widely adopted mainstream technology according to a review of current market and trends. Yet, the timing, speed, and extent of the transition to EVs in Australia are still uncertain.

RACE for 2030 CRC with its partners, Monash University, RMIT University, Curtin University, CSIRO, the University of New South Wales, and the University of Technology Sydney/Institute for Sustainable Futures, has released a report that considers the impact of EV uptake trends, the potential benefits and adverse impacts on the grid and electricity consumers. And it recommends a research roadmap to maximise the benefits of EV for end users and the grid to support the energy transition. The team led by Dr Roger Dargaville, from Monash University, developed a concrete research roadmap to ensure Australia is positioned at the forefront of EV-grid integration research and implementation.

“I’m very excited to release this important report, the first from our ‘EV’s and the grid’ research theme. The potential for flexible, responsive charging systems for EV’s to help decarbonise Australia faster and cheaper by supporting integration of renewables is vast, however if that potential is unrealised, electricity costs will increase. RACE for 2030 CRC will ensure the benefits are realised” said Professor Ariel Liebman, Program Leader for RACE for Networks.

Many projections see EVs making up most light passenger vehicle sales in Australia by 2030. However, the range of current uptake scenarios (from 0.5million to 5million) would have vastly different futures for mobility and the grid. The RACE for 2030 CRC’s Electric Vehicles and the Grid report seeks to support a customer-centric EV transition by identifying barriers to vehicle-grid integration and removing them through a world leading research program to be funded by the CRC. This program will result in lower energy bills, lower network costs, support electricity system reliability, reduce emissions, and grow employment opportunities in the EV integration technology sector.

“A key focus for RACE for 2030 is integrating EV’s (and their batteries) with the electricity supply system and with homes. We will make a significant investment in this strategic challenge over the next 2-3 years. This report provides useful guidance on the research priorities for this program” said Mr Jon Jutsen, CEO of RACE.

This opportunity assessment report is one of several outputs from the recently established Reliable Affordable Clean Energy (RACE) for 2030 Cooperative Research Centre, an industry led collaborative research centre established in July 2020 with $350 million collaboration of Australian industry and researchers supported by the Commonwealth Government.

You can find full report on the Publications page of the RACE for 2030 website