Rapid advances in the development of superfast recharging services could see sales of electric cars in Australia zoom, according to observers.
The latest technology can see e-cars refuelled at specialised stations in as little as eight minutes – a far cry from the all-night charging sessions some electric car owners currently experience using their home solar systems.
According to David Finn, co-founder and CEO of the Brisbane-based Tritium electric car charger company, many future e-car owners will simply choose to have their cars charged while having a cup of coffee or doing the shopping at Coles or Woolies.
“This will be a bit of a game changer as the technology adoption is going,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Tritium can point to the hugely successful market for its fast chargers in Europe, with some 300 charging stations across the continent now in daily use.
Until now Australia has lagged, but Finn notes that two new competing electric charger networks are looking to change that.
Chargefox plans to have 22 charging stations between Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide; while EV Networks plans a network of chargers in 42 sites, including Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide.
Finn predicted petrol vehicles would reach maximum production globally in five years before decreasing as carmakers increasingly embrace electric vehicles.
