Car makers race for electric market
Updated
They've been touted as the next big trend in the car industry, but it will be a few years before you have to un-plug the toaster to charge your electric car. However, an Australian importer plans to have Chinese made electric cars on Australian roads by the end of 2011.
Presenter: Scott Alle
Speakers: Neville Crichton, executive chairman, A-teco; Richard Johns, Australian Automotive Intelligence
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ALLE: The big car makers are all working electric models and Chinese brands such as Chery, Great Wall Motors and BYD are said to be in front row of manufacturers seeking to bring the pipe dream to market
CRICHTON: As a city car i think they'd be quite practical. I mean most of the cars have a range of 140 (kilometres) which would get them from their home to their office without a recharge.
ALLE: Neville Crichton is the executive chairman of importer A-teco, he hopes to have electric models from his Chinese suppliers on Australian roads by the end of next year. But a lot questions still have to be resolved: infrastructure has to be put in place, the cars have to meet stringent safety requirements, and to date electric vehicles have come with a hefty price tag.
CRICHTON: If you want to bring a Chinese car in it would naturally need to be competitively priced with petrol engine cars. Naturally people will pay a premium but certainly not 200 per cent premium.
ALLE: Organisations which want to flout their green credentials are tipped to be among the first buyers, but just how big the potential market is is in hot dispute. French auto giant Renualt, which is investing heavily in a shift to electric, has made the bold prediction electric vehicles will account for 10 per cent of the global car sales by 2020. Others estimate just half a per cent. Richard Johns is the head of consulting firm Australian Automotive Intelligence.
JOHNS: Well eventually I think the electric car will become a very important part of the Australian and world vehicle market.
ALLE: Mitsubishi and Nissan are already trialling electric models in the often gridlocked Japanese traffic. But Mr Johns says it's too early to predict whether they or Chinese brands will suit consumers tastes.
JOHNS: That's very hard to judge. I think that there is so much development going on at the present time and there will a lot more development over the next decade or so that various countries will hop over each other and gain advantages, but those advantages will probably be short lived.
ALLE: There's also the issue of battery technology. It still has some way to go to compete with petrol versions but Neville Crichton is confident Chinese manufacturers will use the expertise gained in other industries.
CRICHTON: I think the batteries are a big question mark but the Chinese are the largest battery-makers in the world, certainly way way advanced in mobile phone batteries. So you've got to believe if anyone's got the technology you would expect it to come out of China.
ALLE: Most analysts agree the switch over to electric cars will be gradual. But with names like Intel and Microsoft becoming involved in the systems to support the shift the prospect of having a sleek noiseless ride in the garage is becoming closer.
