With major pandemic restrictions still in place in Victoria,
and the majority of state borders now closed in response to same, many
Australians can only dream about getting out on the open road again but for
Queenslanders (and specifically electric vehicle enthusiasts) that prospect
just became a lot more tantalising.
We previously reported on Queensland’s
Electric Vehicle Super Highway (QESH), the nearly 2,000km stretch of
tropical coastline from Cairns to Coolangatta dotted with fast charging
stations for use by locals and tourists in electric vehicles (EVs). These
charging stations (which are carbon-neutral and pollutant-free) are located
close to major highways and retail/food service premises
Now the Queensland
Government has just announced that they will add a further 13 new electric
vehicle charging stations to the QESH, boosting the total number of charge
points to 31. New fast-charging site locations include Springwood, Ipswich,
North Lakes, Forest Glen, Gympie, Gunalda (Curra), Gin Gin, Mt Larcom,
Proserpine, Ayr, Cardwell, Innisfail and Port Douglas.
According
to the Queensland government, an EV fully recharged by solar can save 2.7
to 3.8 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually when compared to a fossil
fuel vehicle (driving 15,000km per year).
More renewables (such as solar and wind) are being added to
Queensland's energy generation mix, which means the energy used to charge EVs
along the QESH will become cleaner and more sustainable.
Analysis by AEMO forecasts nearly four and a half million
residential and commercial EVs in operation across the east-coast of Australia
by 2037-38, representing approximately 17% of the total vehicle fleet, as EV
technology (along with other sustainable automotive fuel options such as
hydrogen) continue to evolve and become more accessible.
In AEMO’s recent 2020 Integrated
System Plan (ISP), which set out a 20-year roadmap for the National
Electricity Market (NEM), we noted that electrification of transport could also
change NEM energy consumption and demand, and may be important in the future
design of the energy systems. The uptake of electric vehicles is forecast to
emerge as a key influence on electricity infrastructure in the next decade; the
scale and pace of electrification of transportation is varied as an input
across the ISP scenarios.
Digital controls and falling costs are making these interactive
assets easier and cheaper to adopt and, as consumers install distributed PV,
the level of uncontrolled energy in the system increases, and as batteries and
EVs charge and discharge, the demand profile for grid supplied energy shifts,
which in turn influences how generators operate and increases the value of
flexible generation and storage.
Smart EV chargers are a necessary enabler for efficient
coupling between the energy, transport and infrastructure sectors. AEMO is
collaborating with industry, government and regulatory bodies on the
opportunities and challenges presented by EVs, via the Distributed Energy
Integration Program.
While the technology, opportunities and adoption of EVs
continue to evolve and overcome challenges, the future of road travel in a
post-pandemic Australia looks increasingly interesting.
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