JOLT, Uber and Polestar senior executives share insights on how electric and autonomous vehicles are driving the green communities of the future
Electric and autonomous vehicles are the key to unlocking the nation’s clean energy revolution and will be critical in reaching Australia’s aggressive emissions targets, a SXSW panel featuring senior executives from Uber, Polestar and JOLT has revealed.
The panel discussion “Charged for Change: how electric vehicles (EVs) and autonomous vehicles (AVs) are driving the energy revolution globally”, held at the SXSW Conference in Sydney this week, featured three of the nation’s leading experts in the EV and AV industry, sharing their thoughts on the evolution of the sector and what is needed for the next phase of EV adoption nationwide.
The panel, which was moderated by The Guardian’s Head of Commercial Content, Sharnee Rawson, included JOLT CEO, Doug McNamee, Uber Australia and New Zealand Managing Director, Emma Foley, and Polestar Head of Marketing, Jonathan Williams.
The speakers explored the recent explosion of Australia’s EV market – last month alone, 11.3% of new cars sold in Australia were battery electric, with more than 100 different EV options now available for drivers*.
“We are living in a golden age in Australia when it comes to [EV] choice,” Williams said.
“Even going back four years, the market was very different; Australia was right at the back of the queue globally. Now, we’ve become the most abundant market for EVs in the world and that’s down to a few factors – we’re tariff free, so there’s no restrictions on bringing cars into Australia, and there’s well-defined incentives in the market.
“We’re now one of the most competitive markets for EVs and we’re seeing them come into every category, from utes to luxury cars. The reality is that the EV market is going to look a lot like the old car market in the future where you have options for everyone.”
The panel also discussed the changing EV buyer mindset, shifting from early adopters who were looking for a tech-forward, cost-saving purchase, to today’s buyer, who is more about the driving experience.
“The nature of buyers has changed,” Williams said.
“The first EV buyers were buying for quite rational reasons – it was about savings on fuel and getting them around in a relatively comfortable way.
“Now, buyers are more emotional, they’re making heart purchases, and it’s become more mainstream – they want to buy an EV for the feeling or the driving experience – they’re looking for something that’s exciting, faster, smoother and quieter.”
The future of EV adoption was also a hot topic, particularly what infrastructure was needed nationwide to support mass EV uptake.
“The perception and the reality around EV adoption is very different. The underlying EV adoption curve is probably steeper and faster than a lot of people realise. We’ve seen double digit growth month-on-month as far as charging utilisation sessions and people joining the JOLT network,” McNamee said.
“As we look towards 2030, EV adoption needs to massively accelerate. We need to be getting to 50% to 60% of new cards sold being EVs to be able to hit anywhere near the EV adoption targets. The reality is that we’re not going to reach Australia’s aggressive emissions targets without more EVs on the road.”
Foley agreed, saying Uber is speeding up, not slowing down, to become a zero emissions platform..
“It’s something we’ve prioritised because our drivers do four times the kilometres of the average driver, so for every rideshare car to electrify, that delivers an outsized impact on overall vehicle emissions” she said.
The panel agreed that the accessibility and availability of EV charging stations was critical in pushing the needle forward on EV adoption, calling on the government to implement a structured roll-out of additional infrastructure.
Reinforcing this, McNamee said: “Infrastructure needs a structured approach, from top to tail in government, in how you roll it out. It’s hard to build a charger in Australia – when we compare to markets that are moving faster, we have to look at how to get rid of that tension and red tape to move the system faster, so that people can go out and build large-scale charging programs.
“We need to shift the focus away from driving consumer demand to enabling consumer demand. Enacting government policies that help all the layers get aligned is key – it’s how we enable local government to have the right people in the right place to roll out chargers, how we think about reducing planning times, and how we think about speeding up grid connections.”
AVs are also set to be a gamechanger for the sector, the panel said, but building consumer trust would be critical.
“The message around AVs is that the technology is ready, it’s on roads and it’s working, and it will probably be here sooner than you think,” Foley said. “The technology and the vehicle production is scaling rapidly – we hope it won’t be long until we see AVs on the road in Australia.”
“But getting AVs on the road comes down to trust – it’s not the product or the technology that’s going to hold it back, it’s people feeling comfortable in the cars. We need to get the regulatory settings right too, to help secure consumer trust in the whole experience.”
Looking to the future, the panel said they were excited about the potential scale and size of Australia’s EV industry.
“We’ve seen a dramatic shift in the quality of vehicles coming out and the amount of technology in the market and that’s going to continue to accelerate – we’re excited about the transition,” McNamee said.
“We’re also exploring the future of EV charging as a business and how you build a sustainable business in this area. Combining it with advertising is our approach as it allows us to offset the costs of running high-quality infrastructure in markets that otherwise couldn’t necessarily sustain it. We know we can build a charger anywhere – it’s how you afford to do it at a scale that delivers reliability that is the challenge; the idea of advertising as a public utility mechanism is incredibly powerful.”
“I think we’ve crossed the threshold, where EVs have earned their place as the future of driving. People are now wanting to buy an EV for the passion and the joy of driving, and it’s great to see,” Williams said.
Source: *The Driven & EVC
About JOLT
JOLT is Australia’s first network of free, fast electric vehicle fast charging stations and sustainable digital out-of-home advertising network. As Australia’s leading EV charge point operator, JOLT’s mission is to make electric transport more accessible to drivers through zero-cost and fast charging. JOLT offers Australian EV drivers 7 kWh, or around 50 kilometres, of free, fast charging, with cost of charging offset though JOLT’s integrated digital out-of-home advertising network. JOLT has expanded its global footprint with charging networks in North America, the UK and New Zealand. Using innovative tech, enabled by partnerships with governments and companies such as Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy, JOLT is creating a functional and sustainable charging network that runs off GreenPower-accredited, 100% renewable wind and solar energy. JOLT has been recognised by TIME and Statistica as one of the world’s top 250 greentech companies. JOLT – Accelerating the shift to a zero emissions future. JOLT.com.au.
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