The Victorian Department of Transport is conducting an Electric Vehicle Trial to lay the foundations for a commercial electric vehicle market in the State – a region where 16 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions result from transport activity.

The trial began in 2010 and will operate until mid-2014, and is set to assist Victorians with a better understanding of the processes, timelines and barriers involved in moving the State towards electric vehicle infrastructure and technology.

Under the trial, households and fleets drive an electric vehicle for three months each; 60 cars have been provided by Blade Electric Vehicles, EDay Life, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Toyota, insured by Lumley Insurance.

An advisory group was established in 2010 to provide advice to the Department’s trial project team, comprising stakeholders such as the RACV, the Energy Networks Association, the Australian Electric Vehicle Association, the Australian Energy Market Operator and the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. The RACV also undertakes the ballots for Victorian households to participate in the trial.

AGL provides 100 per cent-accredited ‘GreenPower’ for the trial from its emissions-free hydroelectric Bogong Power Station in the Victorian Alps, while the CSIRO manages data collection and management for the trial.

The first householders chosen to participate in the Electric Vehicle Trial, driving the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and Nissan LEAF vehicles, have now finished their stint and provided detailed feedback on their electric vehicle use via a survey.

Wiring up

Although there are no vehicle electricity plans currently available from retailers in Australia, the Victorian Department of Transport has begun discussions with unnamed electricity market players with the aim of establishing electric vehicle-specific billing information and pricing plans.

Plans available internationally often provide a financial incentive for ‘smart charging’ by electric vehicle drivers, and the Department has expressed a desire for similar patterns to be implemented in Victoria.

The survey of initial trial participants demonstrated that households are happy to have their vehicles charging when it is cheaper to do so, rather than when the car is first plugged in.

Smart charging was supported by all of the first round trial participants, even if approximately three quarters also indicated that their car would have to be fully charged when they needed it.

Most of the car trips taken by Victorians are short, with the average distance driven per day approximately 40 kilometres per driver; electric vehicles can drive for 100–150 kilometres on a single charge.

The renters’ option

The Victorian Department of Transport says that it will ensure the trial includes facilities for the nearly one in three Australian householders who rent their home.

“To better understand the barriers renters may face in taking up electric vehicle technology, the trial has been working with participants who live in leased properties managed by owners’ corporations that also feature shared parking areas,” the Department says.

“The first step was to write to the Owners' Corporation Manager introducing the trial and providing a description of the charging point being requested for installation; proforma correspondence was provided for the participant outlining arrangements, where all costs associated with installation, maintenance and removal of the equipment were covered as part of the trial.

“After further discussions, the approval given by the Owners' Corporation was conditional on pre-approval of the detailed works plan, and the renter being responsible for any council or building permits required along with supervision of all site works, control of vehicles and materials so as to not interfere with the normal activities on the property, and payment for all energy costs incurred through the vehicle charging.”

Assessing progress

The survey of the first group of households participating in the Electric Vehicle Trial revealed that participants will use public charging points if they are widely available, and if electricity is provided for a reasonable price.

“Although more than 64 per cent of participants indicated that home charging met their needs, more than two thirds would utilise public charging points if the costs were equivalent to charging at home,” the Department says.

Some respondents stated they would not use public charging if they had to make an effort to find their nearest charging points.

“Over the past eight months, the trial has unearthed a number of issues with setting up car charging facilities, such as those that apply to people with no off-street parking,” the Department explains.

“The aim of the trial is to identify these types of limitations and work through possible solutions to ensure that electric vehicles are accessible to as many Victorians as possible.”