Running discussion on SP, page-59729

*Speaking of Taxi's and getting from A to B as quickly as possible, check this out, as

All-electric Sydney to Canberra flights to start in 2022, in Barrier Reef by 2026



All-electric flights from Sydney to Canberra could start operating three times a day from the second half of 2022, and over the Great Barrier Reef by 2026, thanks to new deals struck by two Australian short-haul flight operators.

Eve Urban Utility, a subsidiary of Brazilian electric vertical take off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft maker Embraer, has announced two separate deals with Australia’s Sydney Seaplanes and Nautilus that will see at least 60 zero-emissions aircraft in local skies from 2026.

Tourism flight operator Nautilus, which has bases in Cairns, Port Douglas, Townsville, Horn Island and Darwin and currently has 36 helicopters in operation, struck a deal on Saturday that will see 10 of Eve’s eVTOLs provided by 2026.



Nautilus plans to operate 100% electric scenic flights over the Great Barrier Reef and other iconic tourist attractions in line with parent company Morris Group’s plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2030.

Similarly, a deal announced this week between Eve and Sydney Seaplanes will see the latter take delivery of 50 eVTOLs by 2026, and which will be used to launch new routes from the company’s Rose Bay terminal (subject to community consultation).

Sydney Seaplanes currently operates inter-urban flights from its Rose bay terminal to destinations such as Palm Beach in Sydney’s north.

“Sydney needs a post-COVID lift and what better way to do that than by developing high-tech and zero carbon jobs that support transport, tourism and the vibrancy of this wonderful city,”said Aaron Shaw, CEO of Sydney Seaplanes in a statement.

“Eve’s eVTOL technology will integrate seamlessly with our electric amphibious fleet to deliver a range of tourism and commuter journeys.”

​

According to a report from the Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney Seaplanes will trial its first eVTOL flight from Sydney Harbour to Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin next Tuesday.

From September 2022, it wants to commence Sydney-Canberra flights three times a day.

Shaw says that the company also wants to use the eVTOLS to expand the company’s reach beyond Sydney’s iconic harbour to throughout the greater Sydney region.

Andre Stein, president and CEO of Eve says the urban air mobility startup will provide not only eVTOLs to Sydney Seaplanes but also air traffic management solutions, maintenance, training, and other services.

https://thedriven.io/


*In other EV related News, I see where,

Daimler commits $A97 billion to go all electric by 2030

Daimler will commit 60 billion euros ($A97 billion) to “become fully electric before the end of the decade – wherever market conditions permit,” according to a new announcement from the German auto kingpin.

By 2025, Daimler says it wants to achieve a target of 50 per cent of new sales consisting of either fully or partially electric vehicles.

Five years later its offerings will be fully electric.

https://thedriven.io/


Toyota partners with BYD to build “electric Corolla”, and low cost EVs

Toyota Motor Group is reportedly partnering with Chinese automotive giant BYD to develop a China-only EV similar to its popular Corolla that will launch in 2022 using the latter’s breakthrough lithium-iron-phosphate Blade battery.

https://thedriven.io/


South Australia opens EV subsidy, and offers additional smart charging rebate

South Australia’s $3,000 electric vehicle subsidy has officially kicked off, opening to applications on the same day as the state government announced a brand new EV-related incentive to encourage the installation of smart home charging systems.

The Liberal Marshall government on Tuesday opened applications for up to 7,000 buyers to get a discount on the price of new electric or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles priced at $68,750 and under, including cars bought since October 28, 2021, when the rebate passed through state parliament.

That same bill also removed electric vehicle registration costs for the first three years after purchase, and delayed the state’s proposed EV road user tax to mid-2027, or when all-electric cars account for 30% of new sales.

The South Australian electric vehicle subsidy scheme forms part of the government’s now $53.25 million Electric Vehicle Action Plan – first announced as part of the State Budget for 2020-21.

It follows an almost identical model to that being rolled out in New South Wales, and differs from Victoria’s in that the price cap for a rebate is a tiny bit lower, at $67,000, and Victoria has already imposed its EV road user tax.

In South Australia, new EV owners will eventually be required to pay 2.5 cents per kilometre driven by fully electric vehicles and 2 cents/km for plug-in hybrids.

​

But the state is hoping the 7,000 $3,000 discounts, waived registration costs and – as of this week – discounted cost of installing a smart EV charging system, will be enough to drive uptake in the few years before a road user tax is deployed.

https://thedriven.io/


Most Australian households are ready to buy an EV – and an emissions ceiling would help

Many people believe Australia’s shift to electric vehicles is stuck in the slow lane – another strollout, rather than a rollout.

But while federal policies are still lacklustre, most Australians themselves are ready for the shift, according to our recent research.

We found most car-owning households will be able to charge their cars in their garage or driveway.

Electric vehicles are also getting more attractive as purchase costs fall and battery range rises.

Australia’s world-beating solar uptake is another plus.

Many of our three million solar households would be able to effectively charge their cars for free at daytime.

Surveys have found 56% of Australians would consider going electric with their next car purchase, while the share of consumers who would not purchase an electric car is declining quickly.

How can we shift to electric vehicles faster?

For us to reach net zero by 2050, we need electric vehicles to make up an increasing share of Australia’s cars.

The federal government is belatedly embracing the technology as part of the new 2050 target.

While Australia is increasingly ready to shift, at present electric vehicles still make up less than 1% of new car sales.

By contrast, Norway will sell its last fossil fuel-powered car next year if current trends hold.

At present, many manufacturers have skipped Australia entirely to focus on more attractive markets, leaving us with a limited range and older models.

So what needs to happen?

As our report explains, the best way to bring down prices and increase the variety of electric vehicles is for the federal government to introduce an “emissions ceiling” on new vehicles.

This ceiling would limit the average emissions from vehicles and encourage manufacturers to bring Australia’s electric vehicle range up to par with the rest of the world.

Do these policies work?

In a word, yes.

Countries with emissions ceilings in place have a much wider range of electric vehicles for sale.

Last year there were only 31 zero-emissions vehicles for sale in Australia, compared to more than 130 in the United Kingdom.

If we had an emissions ceiling in place, drivers would find it easier to switch to electric vehicles, as more choice brings cheaper cars and a wider range.

Of course, no one would be forced to shift.

Those who want to wait for an electric Ute or SUV will be able to.

If you want a glimpse of the future, look at South Korea.

There, companies are building ultra-fast charging stations as a replacement for petrol stations, offering recharging in under 20 minutes and a cafe to fill the time.

In the near future we’ll use clean, fume-free charging stations like these in the same way we use petrol stations today.

As a bonus for switching, the air in our cities will become ever cleaner, and traffic noise will plummet.

Even if our leaders drag their feet on electric cars, we don’t need to.

Australians are ready to swap petrol for electric.

And we’ll never look back.

https://thedriven.io/











Food for thought on a Flight from Melbourne to Manono via Perth perhaps

Or Not, might stick with AVZ Airways for now



AVZ Up Up and Away today

Cheers

Frank