FLEETDRIVE
“ If we have zero emission vehicles on the road , we need to be putting clean electricity or hydrogen into those vehicles . So , it ’ s really working to create consortiums , to create partnerships and projects to get as many EV chargers and hydrogen stations as possible that supports all car brands and all customers ,” he says .
Always a strong advocate for industry growth , Nargar believes in robust competition to drive innovation and infrastructure development .
“ We need strong competitors with electric vehicles and especially strong competitors with hydrogen fuel cell passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles because the infrastructure is expensive ,” he says
“ So , the more brands that come into Australia , the more choice for consumers , the more adoption , the more infrastructure and hopefully we ’ re getting more investment from governments and the private sector ,” he adds .
On the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard ( NVES )
Earlier this year , the Australian government announced the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard ( NVES ) which is expected to take effect on 1 January 2025 . When asked about the NVES ,
Nargar says :
“ Hyundai is supportive of the national standard . We need a line in the sand that we can move forward from and focus all our efforts on reducing emissions across all vehicle segments .”
“ We all know it ’ s needed . We ’ re quite far behind the rest of the world , so we ’ re working with the government to support that strategy . But at the same time , we ’ re also working to ensure the right amount of infrastructure is in place to power the cars of the future .”
Electric Mobility Strategy
Hyundai ’ s approach to promoting eco vehicles is to encourage fleet transition through various initiatives and by highlighting the cost and environmental benefits associated with EVs .
“ One of the most important things with transitioning government fleets or any fleets to EV ’ s is attending EV drive days . There are new cars coming into Australia every year from many manufacturers . So , attending as many drive days as possible is very beneficial ,” he says .
“ Get your fleet teams and senior management to come to drive days and experience the cars first hand . Come and talk to the manufacturers that have been doing it for many years and join the journey to transitioning your fleet ,” he adds .
ISSUE 46 APRIL 2024 / WWW . AFMA . ORG . AU 25