*NSW & Canberra - So Close, Yet Miles apart when it comes to EV's 
So far apart, You wouldn't think they were on the same Team, they certainly aren't on the same Page, let alone Sing from the same Songbook, as Kean trumps Morrison with new $105m EV package for fleet operatorsNew South Wales is to provide a further $105 million to boost the uptake of electric vehicles in fleets and ride share companies, announcing the move just a day after the federal Coalition government unveiled its disappointing “future fuels strategy” that will do little to boost EVs.
The NSW Liberal treasurer and minister for energy and environment Matt Kean announced on Wednesday that the $105 million of new incentives would be on top of the original $490 million announced for its Electric Vehicle Strategy
back in June, bringing the total funds to $595 million.
The incentives will be available to hire car operators, delivery businesses, construction companies, or any fleet operator.
They will “make it easier for your business to transition to EVs while enjoying the benefits of reduced costs and emissions,” said Kean.
Kean says fleet operators swapping to electric vehicles have an opportunity to reduce their emissions by an average of five tonnes of CO2 per vehicle and save up to $3,100 on annual running costs compared to that of an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle.
“NSW is on track to have EVs make up more than half of new cars on the road by 2030, thanks to the NSW Government’s nation-leading Electric Vehicle Strategy – which has now been bolstered to $595 million,” said Kean, who recently spoke on The Driven podcast, including of his own experience with EVs.“Fleet buyers make up about 50 per cent of new vehicle sales and usually sell them after three to four years, creating a great opportunity for us to increase the second hand EV market for the whole community.
“EV’s are cheaper to run, quieter on our roads, reduce air pollution and are better for our health – all great reasons why we want more and more people enjoying electric vehicles right across our State.”
The first round of the EV fleets incentive will open up on November 30, and will be delivered through a reverse auction process, with bidding rounds opening approximately every six months through to the end of 2024.
Fleet operators can register their interest and access the
fleet incentive guidelines here though, as of writing, the website is currently unavailable.
NSW is also spendign $171 million on new charging infrastructure, offering $3,000 rebates for new EVs priced under $$68,750, and stamp duty exemptions for new EVs prices under $78,000, and is also spending $33 million to help the state government transition its passenger fleet to EVs.
Kean told ABC TV on Tuesday night that the federal government should be doing more for EVs.“There’s a range of taxes and charges that could be waived that would make EVs more accessible for families and businesses right across the country,” he said.“The biggest thing the federal government can do is deal with the issue of fuel standards,” adding his voice to the call for Australia to impose fuel emission standards, as most of the rest of the developed world already does.See our recent interview with Kean: The Driven Podcast: “Everyone wants to drive it.” Matt Kean and his TeslaTesla may be on cusp of unveiling new budget-priced EVTesla China VP Grace Tao says a new Tesla electric car completely designed and made in Shanghai will be seen on roads very soon.
Could it also be revealed at an upcoming China auto show?
The new comments come ahead of the annual Guangzhou Auto Show, where it is thought Tesla’s much-anticipated $US25,000 electric hatchback (unofficially dubbed “Model 2”
will be unveiled.
In an interview with Chinese media, the Tesla executive – who is unusual in that she makes public comments on the direction of the typically close-lipped company (apart from CEO Elon Musk) – commented on the EV maker’s plans to source all the parts needed to make electric vehicles in China.
She added that a Shanghai-designed vehicle would soon be made using 100% local parts, a goal that Tesla has been working on since it opened its Gigafactory in Shanghai, with the goal of lowering the cost of manufacturing.
“I hope that in the near future, not only can the (Tesla) models made in China reach nearly 100% localized productivity, it may also be able to witness the (Tesla) models independently designed and manufactured by the Chinese team driving in China. On the highway,” she said according to
The Paper (translated from Chinese).
Tao’s comments come as Tesla displayed an exhibit at the 2021 China International Import Expo in Shanghai, highlighting the company’s increasing importance to the Chinese economy.
China is important to Tesla, also. With more than 1,000 Superchargers and 60 delivery centres across 58 cities, Tesla sells as many as
one in three of its electric vehicles in China.
The plan to design and develop an electric vehicle in China was confirmed when the EV maker
advertised for a design lead for its Tesla China Design Studio in April.
This followed comments from Tesla China boss Tom Zhu in February that Tesla
would start selling an electric hatchback by the end of 2021.
Sources have also been reported as saying that this electric hatchback – first touted by Tesla CEO Elon Musk in late 2020 at the company’s Battery Day – could be
displayed at the Guangzhou Auto Show.
Expectations this would come to fruition were dampened though when Musk said at a recent shareholder meeting that the introduction of new models would be dependent on cell and other supply chain availability.
If and when it does, it is possible it would be eventually made available in Australia also, as the Model 3 is now sourced from Shanghai for local customers.
It will be worth keeping an eye out then, as the auto show kicks off next Friday.
Volkswagen plans new EV model and factory to rival TeslaVolkswagen plans to build a new factory close to its headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, where it would build a new flagship electric sedan starting from 2026 that would include level 4 autonomy..
As
reported by Reuters, the new factory would be part of the company’s Trinity project and would seek to match Tesla with a 10-hour production time per vehicle.
It says it is unable to make such radical changes to the manufacturing process from existing factories.
“That’s why we’re planning greenfield construction: efficient and without limitations by existing structures,” Volkswagen brand CEO Ralf Brandstaetter said in a statement.
“That way we are gaining time and space to gradually modernise the main factory in a far-reaching way and raise production there, too, to a new level.”.
In another effort to stay competitive with Tesla, Volkswagen’s Trinity model would also aim for a level 4 autonomous standard.
https://thedriven.io/View attachment 3787160View attachment 3787256View attachment 3787253The DRC / AVZ / CAT / Manono all Revved Up ready to Go
Just need Felix to throw us a Bone and we're off to the Races
While Tesla and VW go Toe to Toe
Food for thought
Frank
