- Published:
- Monday 14 February 2022
Electric Vehicles will become more reliable, affordable, and commonplace in Victoria under an Andrews Labor Government plan to research and develop the technology locally.
Minister for Higher Education Gayle Tierney today announced a $5.2 million investment into Supporting the Electrification of Victoria’s Future Fleet project at RMIT’s City Campus, in collaboration with Monash and La Trobe universities.
The ‘living lab’ will feature critical infrastructure like EV charging stations and regenerative grid and battery simulators and will be a space where researchers and industry can collaborate and test concepts in ‘real’ scenarios.
The project will support Victoria’s transition to a Zero Emission Fleet, including public transport, by developing reliable and affordable technology, strengthening the grid, exploring batteries and storage, creating a public data-repository and rolling out public awareness campaigns.
Victoria’s transport sector accounts for 25 per cent of the state’s emissions, which is why the Labor Government has rolled out a Zero Emissions Vehicle Roadmap, including all new buses being zero emission by 2025 and having half of all new car sales zero emission by 2030.
The living lab will be fully operational by mid-2023 and create 18 jobs – as well as delivering learning opportunities for students to train for the jobs of the future.
The $8.18 million project is a joint effort by the Labor Government and RMIT, La Trobe and Monash universities alongside the City of Melbourne, C4NET, CitiPower and Siemens.
The project was one of many pitches from universities to the $350 million Victorian Higher Education State Investment Fund, supporting universities with capital works, research infrastructure projects and applied research focused on boosting Victoria’s productivity and economy as the state recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.
Quote attributable to Minister for Higher Education Gayle Tierney
“We know our local universities have a lot to offer which is why we’re working with them, and industry, to build a bright future – while also creating great study, research and job opportunities for Victorians.”
Quote attributable to Minister for Public Transport, Roads and Road Safety Ben Carroll
“Whether you commute in the car or catch the bus, zero emissions vehicles are the future, and we are on the right path to making sure Victorians can make the switch to clean, sustainable transport.”
Quote attributable to Member for Northern Metropolitan Region Sheena Watt
“This is an important project for the future of clean, green transport in Victoria but also for our plan to meet net zero emissions by 2050 through innovative research and the development of new technology.”
Quote attributable to RMIT Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Alec Cameron
"It’s essential that we proactively address the challenges of widespread electric vehicle adoption - bringing our broad expertise to bear in addressing social and economic challenges of this kind is what we do best.”
Quote attributable to Minister for Energy Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio
“This research will help us better understand electric vehicle technology, which is so important given the transport sector is key to driving down emissions and helping Victoria reach its ambitious target of halving emissions by 2030.”