EV’s Explained
Will 2019 be the year that electric vehicles finally
become a serious player for the fleet market?
WORDS BY DANIEL BRAID
T
alk to any environmental enthusiast and
they’ll tell you that that the electric vehicle
(EV) revolution is coming to Australia
in 2019 with as much enthusiasm as any
upcoming live action Disney remake. And while
Dumbo, Aladdin and Simba get ready to light
up the screen once more for no real apparent
reason, car nerds are getting their kicks with
new characters such as the Kona, Niro and Tron
joining the ever-expanding EV universe.
As we head into Oscars season, the low-emissions
narrative represents an epic story befitting of a
Best Picture nomination, yet for whatever reason
it seems the popcorn-going public aren’t exactly
on board the EV train just yet. Sure, while new
innovations and the introduction of improved,
but largely minimal, subsidies might be helping
to improve the overall techs, specs and offerings
of EVs, pricing remains a major stumbling block
alongside practical issues such as charging and
‘range anxiety’.
To help make things a little easier AfMA has
compiled a 2019 update of what’s new in EVs
to hopefully take the guesswork out of these
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vehicles and to provide real alternatives for
fleets of all sizes. If you haven’t already, now is a
chance to consider or reconsider what EVs mean
to your organisation and to decipher how, when
or if you’ll make a change.
Why aren’t EVs being widely adopted in
Australia?
It would come as no surprise that cost is regularly
cited as the primary reason why electric vehicles
are struggling to become a mainstream solution for
Australian drivers. While ‘range anxiety’ is a very real
problem for some and infrastructure concerns are
also present, the financial side of EVs remain the
biggest drawback for many.
Thankfully that appears to be changing with
relatively lower cost models like the Hyundai
Ioniq already available and the Tesla Model 3 and
Hyundai Kona also entering the market later this
year. A recent report also suggested that EVs are
set to become cheaper than similarly petrol vehicles
within six years (approximately 2025), which in
turn presents a golden opportunity for your fleet
to consider investing in a low-emission and cost-
effective future sooner than you might think.