Australia

TIDAL WAVE

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wave
Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash

The Tidal Wave has arrived. And Australia is riding it all the way. 

G’Day

G’Day, hope you are all doing well, this is my first official blog in almost 5 months. I have been blogging on and off this year due to a project I was part of out of my day job. I will fill you in on that later this year. 

While I have been away though a lot has changed, especially in Australia.

Political Will

Since the election earlier in the year seeing the federal government change, we have seen several significant moves for Electric vehicle adoption. 

  • Money dedicated to uplifting the Electrical Network
  • Money dedicated to uplifting the number of Vehicle Chargers
  • States making significant moves to transition their fleets to electric vehicles

Unfortunately, though we still have a lot of work to do to change the perceptions of those that believe electric vehicles are nothing more than a boon and would never replace their current internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles. 

Up till this point we were known as the laggards, the last in line and the underachievers when it came to electric vehicle adoption. The atmosphere of that retroact has shifted and we can see real change in the way Australians are looking towards electric vehicle adoption. 

Incentives in a few states have helped to increase vehicle adoption. Unfortunately, they are still out of range cost-wise for an average wage earner. 

How things are changing.

Tidal Wave, In March of this year, several changes occurred that helped to entice the uptake of electric vehicles for government and fleet vehicles. This helped to energize the marketplace regarding electric vehicle purchases and increased interest from car manufacturers.

car lights and beautiful sunset
Photo by Eric Weber on Unsplash

The long-term view is to increase the second-hand electric vehicle car market for when the lease periods end for government vehicles. This will ultimately drive price competition and allow more people to enter the EV marketplace. 

EVs coming to Australia

This move has helped to increase the interest of car manufacturers who previously felt that Australia was a less-than-viable market. Wheels Magazine Australia recently published their list of vehicles coming to Australia over the coming years. I have listed them below with the original links – Worth having a look

It seems that Australia has finally woken up to the advantages of owning electric vehicles. The ability to charge from home, the possibilities of the vehicle to grid support and cars that can use their batteries for other purposes like boiling a kettle as demonstrated by UK publication “ThisisMoney.co.uk“

The Tidal Wave of electrification is coming. Australia in previous years has struggled to get electric vehicle purchases by over 1% last year it was more than 3% and growing. This is a small amount when considering the entire vehicle market but Australians want this change and they are showing that through their buying power. 

Car companies are now seeing Australia as a viable electric vehicle landscape and are working to deliver more vehicles to meet the demand. 

The EV vehicle market can only grow from here and I for one am excited by the possibilities that it provides. 

Past the Tipping Point

difficult roads
Photo by Hello I’m Nik on Unsplash

We have passed the tipping point and we now get to ride the tidal way of change. 

The questions that are going to see answered include 

  • How will we change our behaviours?
  • What will the evolution of transport look like in 10-20 years?
  • Will this small change make a significant change to the environment as we hope?
  • How will our health improve?
  • What possibilities will this change provide to our daily lives?

I am sure there are so many more questions to be asked now and in the future.

 We need to make a change for the better so our children can live healthy happy environmentally conscious life.  

Glad to be back and share my thoughts

Dave 

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Australia’s Electric Vehicle Market Heating Up

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Map australia
Photo by Joey Csunyo on Unsplash

Australia’s electric vehicle market is heating up with the recent fuel price rise.

Fuel Prices

The war in Ukraine has had global impacts on oil production and supply have hit the Australian petrol prices hard. 

From a price just over $1.60 Litre less than a month ago, to over $2.20 Litre now has hit the hip pocket of all Australians with Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles. 

It is hard to fathom paying over $100 dollars a tank of fuel for your average car.

Tipping point

I have spoken of the tipping point in a few blogs in the past one like “EV Opportunities for Australia“. It has always been looking when that tipping point might be.

There is no doubt anymore that the tipping point has passed. Now with the added pressure of the increased fuel prices, the demand for electric vehicles has hit new heights. 

EV ordering Today

To give you some idea here is the availability of vehicles in the Australian marketplace if you ordered today. 

With the limited supply in Australia and ordering times taking many months even years is it any wonder that the prices of the used car market for electric vehicles have jumped significantly. 

Hope

But don’t lose hope. Electric vehicles are proving they have a future far greater than the ICE cousins. They will only increase in demand until the market has enough supply for the demand. 

Companies like Tesla are increasing their manufacturing volume to meet this demand. With Giga Factories in Berlin, Germany and Austin, Texas USA out of which will be produced, initially, the Model Y Tesla is doubling down on supply. 

Giga Berlin
Image Courtesy of Tesla.com

The Model Y is not yet available in the Australian market but once it is able to be ordered it will undoubtedly become the most sort after vehicle. 

Next time

One of the greatest challenges for purchasing an electric vehicle is the price. Check out my next blog where I talk price and how the government is attempting to help. 

Dave 

Tesla Right-Hand Drive?
Starship & Tesla – launching a better future
Easter Eggs – Gaming, Tesla, or Chocolate?
There’s a new kid in town – Mustang Mach-e
Tesla – Master Plan 3 – The Goal
Tesla Referral Program Returns!!!

Dreams of owning a Tesla out of reach for Australian’s?

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long road to mountains in distance
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Elon Musk and Tesla this week lived up to expectation and again helped out Australians and New Zealanders with the dropping of the price of the connectivity to Tesla’s. It got me to thinking about my dreams of owning a Tesla in Australia and how they still seem out of reach 2 years after the Model 3, the car for the masses, was released. Are peoples dreams of owning a Tesla out of reach for Australian’s?

The reduction in connectivity seems a small thing and normally it wouldn’t be significant, but the reduction was approx. 40%. Such an amazing and gracious act.

tesla with computer vision demo

However, over the last couple of years, we in Australia and by extension New Zealand, haven’t had a lot to celebrate when it comes to the price of electric vehicles as prices are way out of reach for your average person. 

I am not wealthy and in some cases I live from pay check to pay check due to the increase in living expenses over the last 10 years. Studying hard for many years has allowed me to have have a reliable job. I have a loving family and I want to look out for them as much as I can. This includes protecting them when they are driving to work or school. 

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About 4-5 years ago I, like thousands before me, scrolled through YouTube looking for something to occupy my interest and I came across a video talking about Tesla. I had not heard about Tesla, the mission or a guy named Elon Musk. What I saw was a car that was truly amazing, revolutionary, and above all it was considered the safest car on the road. 

Up until this time I had not really been aware of the new evolution of the electric car and a person called Elon Musk. 

Since then, until now, I have been a kid in a candy store absorbing all the information I can and gaining a greater understanding of their purpose and mission. I found a community that was passionate, friendly and great fun covering the globe and looking at every aspect of the vehicles, the company and the mission. They have been a great companion over the years and have given more than they take. I am grateful for this.

many feet coming together
Photo by Ingo Joseph on Pexels.com

When the Model 3 was announced to the world I had hope! Hope of being able to afford the car of my dreams and hope they were not out of reach in Australia. Dreams of owning a Tesla out of reach for Australian’s?

Tesla has worked the last 10 years to deliver the car to the masses. The promise was a car that would be affordable so that the average mum and dad could afford it. This has fed my passion and desire to own the Tesla model 3 ever since the announcement.

red model 3 driving away
Image courtesy of www.Tesla.com

However, my glee at an affordable car was short lived when the prices were announced for the Model 3 in Australia. The chance of owning a Tesla for the average family is becoming more and more out of reach letting many people’s dreams of owning a Tesla in Australia become further out of reach. 

I trust Elon Musk’s vision for Tesla and he has shown that he and Tesla are open to price changes as demonstrated by the changes to the connectivity fee. A business needs to earn money to help grow the business and the vision is to build gigafactory’s on every continent which should assist with the reduction of costs and flow on to price as we have seen in China.

So……. are my dreams of owning a Tesla in Australia truly out of reach?There doesn’t seem to be a clear answer but there are possible solutions.

Currently we as a global community are finding our lives turned upside down, and the last thing anyone would expect a reduction in prices occurring anytime soon. One might see prices rise due to a downturn in production out of Fremont due to its closure whilst isolating.

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However, where one door closes another opens and in Australia and New Zealand right now there is opportunity for Tesla to thrive. Airlines are grounded and people are starting to emerge from isolation and will want to travel. Now is the time to drop the price and let people experience the Tesla life. Take this opportunity to make prices affordable, allow leasing, bring Made in China Model 3’s into the country and help to drive opportunities to bring the price down. 

Are dreams of owning a Tesla out of reach for Australian’s? No if the above opportunities were implemented. If they were it would let dreams become reality and watch the sustainable future appear before our eyes.

Dave. 

Dave the cartoon image
Written by David McCann 25/4/2020

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EV HQ

please contact Dave at electricvehicleHQ@gmail.com, on twitter @evhq2 or on the contact page of EV-HQ.com.