WA electric vehicle day to rev up interest in clean, green transport

The CEFC is supporting Western Australia’s first Zero Emissions Fleet Transition Conference on 8 October.

Gemtek media release

30th September 2020

West Australian industry and government vehicle fleet buyers will be encouraged to make the switch to electric vehicles (EVs) when they road test the latest models at the state’s first Zero Emissions Fleet Transition Conference. The conference will be held in Perth on 8 October.

The event will showcase a wide range of commercially available EVs, including models designed for the mining and agricultural sectors, and EVs fitted with technology that caters for the vast distances travelled across the state. 

EVs from Tesla, Hyundai, Nissan, BMW, Audi and Jaguar will be available to test drive, along with the Bortana electric underground vehicle which was designed, developed and produced in Australia for use in mine sites and on farms. 

Throughout the day, seminars will also be offered on industry fleet transition, infrastructure, energy systems, autonomous vehicles and tourism opportunities.

The WA conference is the third such EV Day to be held with the support of the CEFC, following successful EV Days in Melbourne and Sydney. 

Australia still lags behind many other countries in the transition to EVs. Although sales here tripled in just one year to almost 7,000 in 2019, EVs still accounted for less than one per cent of new sales.

Increasing our uptake of EVs is critical to decarbonising the transport sector, which is responsible for some 19 per cent of Australia’s emissions, or about 100 million tonnes each year. Since 2005, our transport emissions have increased more than 60 per cent, with passenger vehicles accounting for 43 per cent of this increase*.

Rob Wilson, Head of Western Australia and Resources at the CEFC said: “Industry and government buyers purchase as many as one in five new vehicles in Australia. Getting them behind the wheel of an EV, and dispelling some of the myths about EV performance, is critical to increasing sales.

“WA is at the forefront of Australia’s transition to sustainable transport, with our processing and manufacturing industries gearing up to supply the boom in global battery demand driven by the growth of the EV sector around the world. 

“At the same time, WA is a world leader in the development of autonomous vehicle technology and the global shift towards renewable energy and sustainable transport is expected to be a driver of employment in the state for many years.

“By retiring high emission internal combustion engine vehicles in favour of clean, green EVs, West Australian vehicle fleet buyers could also help position the state as a leader in the nation’s efforts to clean up transport,” Mr Wilson said. 

A recent survey** revealed a lack of awareness about improvements in the performance of EVs. While range anxiety continues to discourage some from buying an EV, 80 per cent of people significantly underestimated the range capabilities of EVs already available in Australia.

Despite this, 56 per cent of people surveyed said they were considering an EV as their next car purchase. People who wanted to buy an EV were encouraged by a desire to reduce their environmental footprint, as well as the lower running and maintenance costs and performance of the latest EV models.

EVENT: WA Zero Emissions Fleet Transition Conference

WHEN: 8th October, 2020

LOCATION: Driver Risk Management - 16 Grogan Rd, Perth Airport

* Decarbonisation Futures: Solutions, actions and benchmarks for a net zero emissions Australia ClimateWorks Australia 2020
** State of Electric Vehicles August 2020, Electric Vehicle Council