Month: February 2021

ACE EV – Australian EV Manufacturer

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Ace EV
Image courtesy of ace-ev.com.au

It all started in the past 

ACE EV – Australian EV Manufacturer. At the turn of the century there was a hope that the 21st century would deliver a new age of innovation, inspiration, motivation and vision. Nothing comes for free it usually comes with hard work, blood, sweat and tears with a touch of luck and hope is usually the way forward. 

This is a new Blog where we dive into the “Manufacturers of the Future”. We focus on the electric vehicle companies that have risen out of the ashes of the industrial age to stand tall and lead us to the future.

We aim to tell their story, reveal their challenges and their successes and help many to understand the importance of their journey and the future that they are trying to bring into focus. 

To begin this journey, we wanted to start local. Australia is a hot bed of thriving ideas and full of people who are passionate about the legacy of the future.

Australian History

Australia is a proud and passionate country. Our history tells of a time of great challenge out of which came new ideas and innovations. We as a people are filled with determination to achieve great things. Our country prides itself on being a place of hope and prosperity with an intention to drive our imagination whilst creating the future. Australia is large continent, full of wonders great and small, old and new. We as its people embrace them all.

Over the years we have shown our patriotism in a number of ways. The Australian car industry has had a long and distinguished career and in part has been a driver to the prosperity of the country.  

Old factory

In the early days of the 20th century, we started to produce vehicles in Australia that we called our own. It was in the late 1940’s that we truly put our stamp on an Australian vehicle. With companies like Holden, Ford, Toyota and many more coming to market with Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles we thrived as a country and consumed these vehicles for passion, fun and the simple life. 

These vehicles proved their worth by helping families travel cross country and discover the wonders of this great continent. However in our haste to have a vehicle we call our own, we did not realise that the dream of owning a brand new car was also the reason for our undoing. In our haste, to own a new car, we caused our own industry to be over run and ultimately decimated by foreign imports and greater variety.

Holden closed its doors in 2017, as one of the last manufacturers in australia and no one took their place.

Yet amongst the mayhem and loss, one Australian car company was forging a new path, ACE EV.

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Global consequences

Our need for our own vehicle and reliance on fossil fuels has led the global population to pollute the very air we breathe and in turn cause catastrophic change to the environment. Health of the population has also been impacted by the environmental pollutants that the growing number of vehicles produced.

These environmental and health issues, that are a direct result of poor human decision making, have impacted Australia in recent years. Bushfires, droughts and increasing ocean temperatures are all indicators that something needs to change. Providing new and fresh ideas to fix the issues we have caused but to also set up the future generations for success should be our goal moving forward.

ACE EV

Issues like these are what motivate people like Greg McGarvie to gain the passion and determination to make a change. Greg’s pioneering spirit helped him and the team to follow a path not easily tread, back in 2015. It is this determination and a mission to improve the world for the grandchildren that motivates and drives his ideas forward. Gregs passion for renewable energy is not new but his determination to move the dial in australia is stronger than ever.

Startup

ACE EV – Australian EV Manufacturer. Over 5 years ACE EV have worked tirelessly to deliver on their promise of manufacturing an australian made electric vehicle. Whilst government incentives have been very rare ACE EV has been backed by private investors who can see the vision they are trying to deliver. These investors have been great supporters of Greg’s and ACE EV efforts to develop a unique vehicle that provides all aspects of the current vehicles on the road but without the pollutants.

In a recent interview with SME TV, Greg Mcgarvie explained that his vision to build an Australian electric vehicle has been like his child. A child that has grown up quickly considering their journey only started a mere 5 years before. It is wonderful to see Greg’s vision of manufacturing an Australian EV become reality.

ACE EV is Australia’s first home grown manufacturing electric vehicle company. Their initial startup was conceived in Brisbane Australia and in recent years they have collaborated with Aldom Motor Body Builders to begin production of their innovative vehicle design. 

The ability for this company to grow an industry in a time that has seen much retraction is encouraging. Manufacturing in Adelaide helps to grow new jobs and develop a truly Australia wide collaboration between two companies.

ACE EV are not your traditional car manufacturer of electric vehicles. They have a unique production process. Their vehicles include the EV CARGO and  ACE YEWT and due in 2022 is the EV URBAN. 

EV CARGO

Ace Ev Crago
Image courtesy of ace-ev.com.au

The initial focus for ACE EV is in the commercial sector. The EV CARGO provides a small van that allows for approx. 500kg cargo carrying capacity. The size and carrying capacity suggest’s it’s a great vehicle for small business and companies who deliver goods within their local areas. Some recent examples include use by Australia Post.

EV YEWT

ace EV YEWT
Image courtesy of ace-ev.com.au

The second vehicle in their line-up is the ACE YEWT. It is targeted at a number of key industries including Home Nurses, Government agencies, florists, news agencies. I would think that handymen and tradies would be interested as the vehicles promote the ability to charge tools from the vehicle. It is this innovation that truly helps to set ACE EV apart from the current competition here in Australia. 

EV URBAN

ACE EV Yet
Image courtesy of ace-ev.com.au

Due in 2022 is the EV Urban. This will be the car for the masses and hopefully help ACE EV grow their footprint home and abroad.

ACE EV specs

ACE EV have an innovative and unique process for manufacturing their vehicles. The body of the vehicle is made up of carbon fiber materials which when assembled create a strong and durable base. On top of this plastic body pieces are attached to the substructure of carbon fiber to form the shell of the vehicle. This combined with a 18kw motor with 45kw peak and 174 NM of torque provides a zippy vehicle for round town driving. The use of the Carbon Fiber reduces the weight to power ratio and thus allows the vehicles to perform with greater mobility and distance.

ACE EV Prices

In recent update from Greg McGarvie, he provided an updated price breakdown for the up coming vehicles for Australia and USA. The prices that Greg outlined provide an insight into the competitive nature that the ACE EV vehicles will provide. With some of the most complelling value seen in australia for EV’s these vehicles will be compared to their foreign counterparts as value for money.

Target pricing with availability(late 2021 – early 2022)

  • Cargo AUD $29,995 (USD $21,896) late 2021 reservation open
  • Yewt. AUD $25,995 (USD $18,796) early 2022 reservation open
  • Urban.AUD $35,995 (USD $26,276) mid 2022 Reserve February 1st 2021
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Battery packs

The battery packs are made up of 18650 cells and are contained below the floor of the cabin. A total of 23.2 kwh battery pack provides between 150 – 200 kms of range depending on load capacity. The heavier the vehicle the less range provided from the battery packs. This is the advantage of the Carbon Fiber helping to reduce the overall weight of the vehicle.

As the vehicles are built with carbon fiber combined with lightweight plastics they tip the scales at just under 1000kgs. In comparison to many internal combustion engines (ICE) vehicles of similar size the ACE EV is almost half their weight. 

Australian innovation in the 21st century is alive and well and ACE EV is leading the way. Their preliminary line up of vehicles combined with their compelling prices and their innovative construction will truly give them an edge here in Australia.

The Australian Government’s support for electric vehicles has been quite negative in recent years and continues to be lack luster. What is encouraging for the future of electric vehicles in australia is a company like ACE EV working against the tide of adversity.

Manufacturing innovation

ACE Electric Vehicles are made of composite materials that are strong and durable. There manufacturing is done in an unusual way. The components for the vehicle are created in an overseas factory where the carbon fiber is shaped into individual pieces. These pieces are shipped in a “Smart Pack” and assembled in the Aldom Motor Body Builders factory. This video shows the process the construction takes. 

Video Courtesy of ace-ev.com.au

Australian motor vehicle manufacturing industry was a shining light in Australia with proud owners of the Australian made Holden’s, Ford’s, Toyota’s and Mitsubishi vehicles. ACE EV’s pioneering spirit will once again help to inspire the future drivers of Australia to be proud of what we make. However Ace is looking beyond our shores to share this innovation with the world.

Australia has for many years been pivotal in discovering new cures for diseases and new ways of understanding the world through research, discovery and a sheer drive to solve a problem. It is this drive that has inspired Greg and Ace EV to continue to innovate and develop their products.

It is no surprise that we again have innovative people like Greg McGarvie who understand through life experience, career and a drive to make the world better, that Australia’s reputation to manufacture quality products remains intact. 

Australia has a reputation for being great at dissecting and observing fresh perspectives on old thinking and applying new innovative ideas to deliver a new industry and give life to old industries thought lost to the past. 

ACE EV – Australian EV Manufacturer. ACE EV‘s innovations in Smart Packs and manufacturing, in combination with a vision of helping the grandchildren of the future, and showing that innovation is not lost in the Australian motor vehicle industry, provides encouragement for the future generations and a hope that we can reverse the impact we have had on the world around us.  

Dave

David McCann
David McCann

EV-HQ founder, passionate about sharing the passion for Tesla and Electric Vehicles everywhere.

EV-HQ.com
References 

https://www.chasinghistoryau.com/industry

https://www.ace-ev.com.au

https://components101.com/batteries/18650-lithium-cell

The ACE Cargo Van

Innovation is free

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Lights at night on road
Photo by Osman Rana on Unsplash

Innovation is free. Free thinking people can create fantastic, imaginative great ideas. But as Elon Musk has said many times creating a concept car is easy, bringing it too production and ramping up is extremely hard. 

Innovation is free just like thoughts they can manifest at anytime and anywhere. To create new and fresh ideas is not an easy thing to do in a world where there are over 6 billion people. One might say that more than one of them would have the same thought. 

Innovation in Tesla

Innovation is what lead to Tesla becoming the leading Electric Vehicle company globally to date. Taking old ideas and reinvigorating them with new and fresh perspective. But Tesla did not stop there, they wanted to look forward and create technology that had been only found in science fiction books but never realized. 

Looking into a scope and seeing the world upside down
Photo by Octavian Rosca on Unsplash

First Principles are essential

Elon has always been famous for talking about first principles thinking. This is the principle of going back to the bare bones of an idea, disassembling it, and reconstructing with new perspective. The best example of this recently was Tesla Battery day presentation. It allows the individuals to take a fundamentals look at what makes the issue tick and allows you to rebuild and find new ways. This type of innovative thinking can remove preconceived ideas and open new possibilities. 

Not the first

Tesla was not the first to have new and fresh idea in the age of technology. Many large tech companies that exist today started in garages in their family house. They had an idea that had never been done well or executed well and they turned them into billion-dollar companies. Of course, I am talking about Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft. 

These companies like many before, and many after, all had a fundamental truth too realise.

Innovation is free but execution is hard. 

Joe Rogan

In a recent Joe Rogan interview Elon explained some thinking around the autonomous driving system. And the innovations and step change progress that has been made. But where he really highlighted the possibilities of the AI systems within the Tesla vehicles was when the subject shifted to safety.

At the heart of most things that Elon does it is to make something safer or better. 

When ever Elon talks when the cameras are not on him he truly shines. He shows his passion for the technology and the possibilities they can provide for humanity. His discussion about the airbag system and the improvements in safety are what makes him get out of bed in the morning. He can see the impacts this would have on the world and is passionate to deliver.

Airbags

Elon was explaining the nuances of the vehicles in regard to accidents and airbags. In current vehicles airbags are programmed to go off when the car is involved in an accident. However, Elon was explaining that the future of airbag management will be looking at the different factors that influence if the airbag is to be deployed.

He explained that the vehicle can judge if a person is actually sitting in the seat, how heavy they are and what position they are on the seat itself. Then if involved in an accident the airbag system will take this into consideration before deploying the airbag itself, thus helping to judge the pressure of the airbag the timing of deployment and the impact upon the individual to make sure that the person is less likely to be injured.

This is next level innovation and first principles thinking in action. Taking an already existing idea and making it better. Innovation at it finest.

How to Overcome

You see we have become complacent about the world around us. We don’t get that buzz when we look at something new. Or when we think of an idea that might change the world. We look at the challenges in front of us and they seem insurmountable to achieve the goal of delivering your great idea to the world. 

Thinker with sparkler
Photo by Matt Palmer on Unsplash

We all need to change the way we think, see the world , and understand the goals we as a society are trying to achieve. Because at the moment we are expecting others to do it for us.

Innovation is a surprise because we have made it a surprise. However, Elon has shown that if we think differently, we can take a great idea and make it better or take a bad idea and make it great. 

Innovation is a measure of success against a society. It doesn’t have to be world shaking, it just has to be an idea you’re willing to spend the time to make it better and see where it takes you. 

Tesla is the most recent in a long line of innovating companies that have emerged in recent years. It is important we keep striving for the success. We can make a huge difference as long as we have the forth right to hold our ground and pursue that which seems impossible.

We are our own worst enemy, but we can do better

To innovate we need to see the world in a positive opportunistic light. We need to look at the fundamentals. Our biggest barrier is ourselves. Don’t be afraid to fail because when you do you learn many things, least of all that was not the way to do the thing. Next time change it and see if that works.

Innovation is free. When you hit a challenge, pick it up turn it over, look around the back and upside down, pull it apart and break it down to its bare essentials. Only then will first principles be possible to find a way forward. 

Innovation is only as hard as we make it. So think differently and go back to basics, First Principles.

Dave 

David McCann
David McCann

EV-HQ founder, passionate about sharing the passion for Tesla and Electric Vehicles everywhere.

EV-HQ.com

Australia #Timetolead

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Norway
Photo by Bill Oxford on Unsplash

Angus Taylor MP recently released his overdue environmental/ transport plan for Australia. Technology Investment Roadmap, A framework to accelerate low emissions technologies

I have followed Tesla and the electric vehicle market for a number of years. In that time i have become a fan of the new and evolving companies. I continue to watch as they strive to become leaders in the field of renewables and electric vehicles. 

However, my own country, does not see transitioning to renewables as a priority. Yet, they have been party to the pollution by providing the resources to burn.

Jo Biden

joe biden
Image by Tibor Janosi Mozes from Pixabay 

Since American President Joe Biden has taken office, he has made it very clear that the USA will again be leading by example. When it comes to the environment and electrification of the transport industry America is leading from the front. 

In his first couple of weeks, he has mandated that all government vehicles will become electric vehicles. That’s a total of 645000 vehicles.

Norway

ranges
Image by Ronile from Pixabay 

Norway has for many years been the leader in the uptake of electric vehicles and transitioning to sustainable energy production. With an average annual amount of sunlight in one of their cities, “Oslo”, seeing sun hours of 1690 hours. In comparison Perth in Western Australia gets 3212 hours of sun a year. Australia can do more.

Norway, a country that sees almost half the amount of sunlight of Australia. It has transitioned to almost all of its electricity generation being done by renewables. Australia can do more

Norway utilizes wind, solar and hydroelectric options. Australia suggests Gas recovery. We can do more.

New Zealand

new zealand landscape
Image by Bernd Hildebrandt from Pixabay

Closer to home New Zealand has become a leader in the renewables and transition to EV’s as well. New Zealand is looking to the future and leading the way in uptake of electric vehicles within our region. Recently the New Zealand government declared a Climate Emergency. This declaration is not just words on a page. 

The Prime Minister and the government have followed this declaration with a number of specific actions. This is designed to help kick start the process of undoing what the environment has had done to it over the many decades.

It does seem strange that just a short 3-hour flight from New Zealand is Australia. A country that has large areas of land that could easily be used to help generate many and varied types of energy from renewable sources. 

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Australia

Australian Bushfires
Image by Terri Sharp from Pixabay

So, a country that has an abundance of sunlight including resources that can help to build, store and distribute electricity without the use of coal, oil or gas has decided that a gas lead recovery of the economy is essential. 

Australia was once known as the lucky country, a place of prosper and wealth. A place of sunshine and fun, and a place with some of the deadliest animals in the world. 

We as a country cannot stand by while the rest of the world shifts all their thinking to focus on transitioning to renewable energy production and increase the uptake of electric vehicles. 

Instead, we have a prime minister that puts his worth in a lump of coal and believes that electric vehicles are not as capable as Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles. 

Power generation

Power generation in Australia is mainly produced by coal powered power stations. In 2019 it was reported by Energy.gov.au (https://www.energy.gov.au/data/electricity-generation ) that 79% of electricity generation was produced by fossil fuels including Coal, Oil and Gas.  Coal, Oil and Gas, all non-renewable resources that pollute the air we breathe and environment from where it is taken.  

There is a saying that goes something like we should “Try and leave this world a little better than you found it, and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate, you have not wasted your time but have done your best. (Robert Baden-Powell)

This is truer today than it has ever been before. I hope that the prime minister of Australia starts to think about this more than the people influencing his and his cabinets decision making when discussing the future of renewables and electric vehicles.

Technology Investment Road Map

Angus Taylor MP provided the following update in his strategy for Technology investment road map (A framework for low emissions technologies.)

In the transport sector, hybrids, alternative fuels and electric vehicles present opportunities to improve road transport efficiency and reduce emissions, although pre-2030 abatement potential is limited by the turnover of Australia’s light vehicle fleet (average age of 10 years) and the readiness of these technologies to support emissions reduction in the heavy vehicle fleet. 

Both battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are predicted to experience increasing uptake. While sometimes seen as competing technologies, they each meet specific consumer and industry needs. For example, fuel cells are considered more readily scalable to bigger vehicles, heavier loads and longer distances such as in long-haul transport.12 Current battery technology constraints suggest BEVs are more likely to be suited to personal use and light commercial vehicles, particularly back-to-base fleets. 

Refuelling and broader transport infrastructure will continue to evolve with the changing composition of Australia’s transport fleet. The Roadmap will complement other initiatives, such as the forthcoming National 

It is interesting that it mentions Hybrids as one of the first options for vehicles then goes on to say that Battery Electric vehicles being one of the best options for suited to personal use. 

This sounds all very reasonable except actions speak louder than words and the current discussion in different states like NSW and SA is the introduction of taxes rather than incentives. 

Work together

There needs to be clear leadership in the space of uptake of electric vehicles just like there is in New Zealand. Australia needs to work alongside other governments who are promoting the uptake of renewable technologies for the improvement of the environment.

We need to look abroad and see the good work that is being done to drive our cities, towns and residents towards an uptake of renewables like solar and battery storage and help to create market opportunities both through incentives and business assists to create a more competitive market and price for Battery Electric vehicles. 

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Look to the future

The quote from Robert Baden Powell suggests that for us as a society to move beyond our current situation we need to look forward not back. Currently the Australian government is only looking back to what they had and not looking forward to what could be.

It would seem that nothing is being considered for the generations ahead and instead it is all consideration for the big oil and coal companies that seem to be getting away with whatever they want because the government takes a slice. 

It is time to change the story and direction that Australia is taking. Time is running out; we are becoming complacent assisters to those who continue to pollute the air we breathe. 

Transitioning to electric, wind and Hydro is the first step in making the future we now dread better than what we had dreamed.

If we act now, we can also be proud and feel satisfied that we made the hard decision when it was the least popular, we chose to stand tall and help rather than hinder. 

It is time that we each start to look at what we can do to help the future generations, our kids’ generation, to look better than what it does now. 

Don’t be that person who is confronted by their kids asking, “Why did you not do anything?” 

#timetolead

Prime minister Scott Morrison it is #timetolead. You have the ability to be courageous and set the targets and look at the future beyond the haze of the bushfires, heat waves and 100-year storms that happen almost every other year and look to the possibilities of what is able to be achieved. You have the power to start the journey to lead us back towards the clear air. As Robert Baden Powell said make sure “you have not wasted your time but have done your best”.

Dave 

David McCann
David McCann

EV-HQ founder, passionate about sharing the passion for Tesla and Electric Vehicles everywhere.

EV-HQ.com