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

One scenario of particular interestis the ‘milk run’ as is applied inthe freight and logistics sector.Figure 43 shows a simple milk runof component parts being supplied toa manufacturing plant. For a vehicleservicing this route, each stop-offpresents as a potential chargingopportunity. Furthermore, if the energyconsumption between stop-offs andthe charging opportunity are both fairlyreliable, the vehicle battery might bedownsized so as to be ‘fit-for-purpose’.This would make the vehicle cheaper tobuy and may even increase the carryingcapacity of the vehicle.Preliminary investigations into thisscenario failed to progress due tosupply constraints on electric light andmedium commercial vehicles.An additional opportunity exists forfleet vehicles that are charged in acentral location to be used as thebasis for a distributed electricitystorage facility. Advanced managementsystems would be required to optimiseagainst electricity and vehicledemands, however this scenario is thebest stepping stone for network-widevehicle-to-grid (V2G) interactions asoutlined in Section 5.2.6.A pilot project utilising a captivefleet of electric vehicles that aremanaged to provide useful energystorage, particularly in alignment withon-site renewable energy generation,would provide a better understandingof the technical solution andcommercial viability for largergrid-scale deployment.5.4 PUBLIC CHARGING5.4.1 How much doespublicly-accessible charginginfrastructure cost?Standard charging outlets for publiclocations generally cost aboutthe same as for corporate fleetapplications – around $5,000 per unit.Standard charging circuit costs arehigher however, with the average ofnearly $3,500 reflecting the greateremphasis on parking location overcost minimisation. Since the VictorianElectric Vehicle Trial launch in 2010,high voltage ‘quick charger’ equipmentcosts have halved to be now around$40,000. Quick charger installationcosts are highly variable, but canbe minimised if provisions aremade during general site constructionor refurbishment.SUPPLIERSUPPLIERManufacturingplantSUPPLIERFigure 43. Conceptual model of ‘milk run’ logistics for freight delivery from a range of regular suppliers to a manufacturingplant – a scenario potentially well suited to a corporate charging strategy.CREATING A MARKET 81