victorian electric vehicle trial mid-term report - Department of Transport

4.1.5 What about electriccommercial vehicles?Electric commercial vehicles are ofstrong interest to many fleet operatorsin Australia, particularly vans and othervehicles at the light-duty end of themarket. Supply constraints currentlyinhibit further evaluation of the viabilityof these vehicles for Victorian roads.Electric commercial vehicles, such asvans, buses and light and heavy trucks,are already operating on roads aroundthe world with less of the fanfare thataccompanies passenger vehicles. Thereduced operating costs and improvedenvironmental performance of electricvehicle technology are an attractionfor operators of vehicles for whichthe potential savings may greatlyexceed those from passenger vehicles.Additionally, the near-silent operationof electric vehicles holds potential forfreight sector productivity increasesthrough night-time deliveries innoise-sensitive areas (Freight BestPractice 2009).Extensive investigations by a largeAustralian freight and logisticsoperator identified a number ofpotential EVs available globally forwhich discussions were pursuedfor local import. Although theseinvestigations have been underwaysince the launch of the trial in 2010,no agreements have been reachedon local supply of vehicles.The main issues preventing vehiclesfrom being trialled locally are:• Relatively small numbers ofvehicles being sought• Australian market entry costs(vehicle homologation, serviceand repair etc.)• Technology suitability for theintended service application/operating environment• Price.Separately, investigations into alocal fleet purchasing coalition havediscerned an appetite for electric lightcommercial vehicles. Consultation withlocal fleet operators, undertaken bythe consultants Verdant Vision as partof a project led by The Climate Groupand sponsored by the Victorian andSouth Australian Governments, foundmany fleets to be interested in triallingelectric vans and other commercialvehicles. However, relatively fewvehicles are being sought by theoperators, which may not provide thecritical mass required for the supplyconstraint to be addressed. The finalreport from this project is expected forrelease in early 2013.Electric buses are already operatingon Victorian roads as charter vehicles(Crown 2012). Assessment of electricbus technology was included as partof a wider investigation into alternativefuel and vehicle technologies for thebus industry (DOT 2012b). Indicationsfrom this and more recent analysissuggest that the long charging timesfor the vehicles and high purchaseprices make them best suited to lightduties with high promotional value.4.2 HOUSEHOLD VEHICLEROLL-OUT4.2.1 Who’s interested inelectric vehicles and why?In general, would-be Victorian EVdrivers are strongly interested innew technology and environmentallyaware. They are also highly educatedrelative to the general population.Although the spatial distribution ofEV enthusiasts was fairly flat, therewere notable ‘hot-spots’ aroundthe middle suburbs in Melbourne’ssoutheast and the outer suburbsin both the west and southeast.A household application to participateand survey process was run inpartnership with RACV in November/December of both 2010 and 2011(DOT 2010d and 2012c). Applicantswere requested to complete a 15minute questionnaire that soughtinformation not only to guide theparticipant selection process, butalso to inform the understandingof the potential electric vehiclemarket in Victoria.CREATING A MARKET 33