Charge network to service electric cars

Better Place Australia (BPA) will roll out the world's third large scale charge network to service electric cars across Australia from 2011 and expects up to 20 per cent of local vehicles will be electricity-powered by 2020.

BPA says it will start building a network of electric plug-in points and battery swapping stations in Canberra and southern NSW from late 2011 before commencing a national roll-out in late 2012.

Chief executive Evan Thornley told ABC Television the network will be the world's third, behind BPA's national network roll-outs in Israel and Denmark in 2011.

It will stand ready to service electric cars scheduled for production in 2012.

"We're going very early with the charge network," he said in an interview on Sunday.

"With a combination of a large number of plug-in points and a small number of battery swapping stations, mainly on the outer rims of our major cities and the big connecting highways, you'll be able to drive wherever you want, whenever you want."

Plug-in points allowing drivers to recharge car batteries will be in homes, work car parks and public places where cars are parked for long durations, such as airports and shopping centres, he said.

Battery swapping stations will allow drivers to get a fully recharged battery after driving long distances.

BPA believes between 10 and 20 per cent of all local cars will be running on electricity by 2020, before the entire national fleet moves to electric by 2035.

"Battery prices are going down, petrol prices are going up, that tells you what's going to happen," Mr Thornley said.

Drivers of large vehicles in outer suburbs may be the biggest beneficiaries of a switch to electric, which could save them thousands of dollars in annual petrol costs, he said.

Large vehicles reap fatter margins for manufacturers than small cars, and BPA believes Australia's expertise in car manufacturing could be leveraged to take a leadership position in making electric cars.

The Auto Innovation Council has said Australia should be a global lead producer of large, powerful, zero emissions vehicles, Mr Thornley said.

"I think they're right. It's what we know how to build, it's where the money is."

Both the manufacturing and capital costs of building electric cars will be cheaper than petrol vehicles, he said.

Two-year old BPA is privately-owned and a unit of California-based Better Place.

Better Place opened its first electric vehicle demonstration centre in Ramat HaSharon, Israel in February.

Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.

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