This week’s episode talks about carloop’s upcoming EV charging event, the 3 new Tesla superchargers that have opened and new battery technology coming out of China.
Video Transcript
Adrian Maidment (00:00.238):
Hello and welcome to EV Loop powered by Carloop. I’m Adrian Maidment. I’m not your host. That’s Riz Actor from Carloop. Hello Riz.
Riz Akhtar:
Hey Adrian, good to be here for the first episode.
Adrian Maidment:
In this podcast, we’ve got a few things to cover such as local Australian industry, international industry news, and the chart of the week we’ve got coming up. But first up, maybe a little bit about what Carloop does.
Riz Akhtar:
Carloop is an electric vehicle data company. We help Australia transition to an electrified future by having more electric cars on the road and making informed decisions as we head into this electrified future.
We have an EV Charging Summit 2024 coming up here in Melbourne on 7th August, where we try to bring multiple industry sectors all in one room. We look at how we can implement as many fast chargers and charging infrastructure across Australia.
That’s going to be much needed as there are thousands of EVs that make it onto our roads every month.
Adrian Maidment:
And who are some of the speakers at the event?
Riz Akhtar:
We’ve got representatives from the state government, those that operate charging infrastructure including public charges, experts from the energy sector looking at grid challenges, and charging hardware suppliers. What I’m most excited about is our keynote from an international fast charging company that has had huge success in other markets in running fast charging infrastructure and making it easier for EV owners to charge at their sites. Lots of lessons to share, and feel free to join us if you’re in Melbourne on 7th August.
Adrian Maidment:
And I guess people can find out more by going to the Carloop website.
Riz Akhtar:
Yeah, that’s right. Carloop’s website has content on that particular event. You can also see what we’ve run in the past. We look forward to sharing some of the highlights here on this podcast and on our social channels. Just keeping on the event topic, I know you’re quite busy going to other events. What have been some recent highlights for you?
One of the recent ones we had back in May was the Solar and Storage Expo in Brisbane. I was chairing one of the theatres there for EV charging. I got to learn a lot from many different experts who look after all aspects, whether it’s property groups, car rental fleets, public charging infrastructure, or public transport. We got everyone in the same room talking about challenges and opportunities.
Another event was about fleets and charging infrastructure, which was run last month in Sydney. Then we have our own EV Charging Summit in August.
Adrian Maidment:
Moving on to some international news, the story that caught my eye this week was about CATL, the Chinese battery maker, the biggest battery company in the world. They have clients such as Tesla, BYD, and Toyota. A promo video came out on YouTube about how long the batteries will last.
Riz Akhtar:
Yeah, CATL supplies those batteries, as you said, the biggest in the world. The majority of Teslas on Australian and New Zealand roads have their CATL lithium-ion phosphate battery pack. They’re supplied to a lot of other manufacturers as well.
It’s good to see that their internal research shows that the newer battery technologies are going to last 16 years. That is significantly higher than the average life of a car in Australia, which is between nine and 10 years. This gives confidence to a lot of people looking to get their first EV, knowing that their batteries will last the entire life of the car.
But in the used electric vehicle market, there’s a lot of concern about how long the batteries will last and if they’ll need to be replaced. According to that research, it will be a long time before anyone needs to replace batteries in their electric vehicles, even on the used market.
Adrian Maidment:
Okay, let’s move on to data. You’re obviously into data, so you probably like your charts. I’ve got one of your charts here to talk about. We’re calling it the chart of the week.
Riz Akhtar (04:45.517):
That’s it. Because it’s a chart, and we’ll probably do this once a week. It’s the chart of the week. This one is about Australia now having more than a thousand fast charging sites for electric cars. Electric vehicle fast charging infrastructure has grown quite rapidly in the last couple of years, and this year is no different. In the first half of the year, we’ve seen a significant number of new sites opened. These are fast chargers that are over the speed of 25 kilowatts DC.
Most cars will be able to charge at those DC fast chargers above 25 kilowatts. As of the end of June, we have 1,011 sites, which is up significantly from the same time last year when there were just under 600 sites. This will give a boost to those looking to purchase an electric vehicle, making it easier for people to road trip, particularly in the summer months. If you break those 1,011 sites down, there are nearly 3,000 plugs.
Two-thirds of them are the CCS2 plug, which is the dominant plug in most new electric cars sold here. Just under 1,000 are Chademo plugs, used by Nissan Leafs, Mitsubishi Outlanders, and a few other electric vehicles. Over time, the trend is moving towards the CCS2 plug, which is used by pretty much every new electric vehicle sold in Australia and New Zealand.
Adrian Maidment:
Is that the plug that Tesla has? Does it have the same plug?
Riz Akhtar:
Yes, Teslas, BYDs, MGs all use the CCS2 plug. Fast charging infrastructure being rolled out now is focusing on that because that’s where fast charging networks will get utilisation. It’s good to see. People are now travelling around Australia in their EVs and Teslas. More and more, this will just be what people do.
Adrian Maidment:
Okay, let’s move on to EV of the week. In your position at Carloop, you get a lot of opportunities to drive EVs. What have you been driving recently?
Riz Akhtar:(07:10.285):
Recently, I had the chance to drive the new BYD Seal, particularly the performance variant. It’s a very exciting car, very comfortable, with a lot of space in the front and back seats—more than the Tesla Model 3 when it comes to back seat space because it’s a longer car. The Tesla Model 3 has a larger frunk, which is quite good and has access to fast charging sites in the country.
I tested the BYD Seal at Tesla Superchargers, and it worked and charged quickly. It’s a good, comfortable car. If there’s something that could be improved, it would be faster AC charging. Currently, it only comes with 7-kilowatt AC. An 11-kilowatt AC charging should be the minimum standard these days so you can charge where you have three-phase power available, whether it’s at work or home. Apart from that, it is a fun car to drive.
Adrian Maidment:
So just on that sort of slow charging, overnight you’re not going to get a big charge, are you?
Riz Akhtar:
I think overnight you might be able to, particularly if it’s a 7-kilowatt charger you have at home in single phase. You’re likely to be able to get the majority of the battery topped. But if you’re on the go and the only charger you have available is AC, then 11 kilowatts is roughly 40% faster than what’s currently on offer. That would be one of the main improvements. The BYD team is also working on very small software changes to improve the car.
Riz Akhtar:
Okay, let’s move on to the big picture of things. Any insights you want to share?
Riz Akhtar:
As we’re shifting towards electrification, there’s a big push for new brands entering the Australian market. Many of them are coming in from China. It’s interesting to see how fleets will take that. Traditionally, most fleet operators, who make up a large chunk of vehicles bought and sold in Australia, rely on traditional automakers like Kia, Hyundai, and others. With the rise of new brands from China entering our market, it will be unique to see how the adoption goes for these newer brands.
Some of the considerations they’re looking at are part supply and servicing, which these new brands will have to establish. They’ll also need partnerships with fleet managers who can rely on these manufacturers to service their vehicles. It’s going to be an interesting 12 to 18 months as these new brands land, and we’ll monitor the adoption amongst fleets.
Adrian Maidment:
And just to finish off, what’s coming up this week for you or in the next couple of weeks?
Riz Akhtar:
In the coming weeks, we’ve got our EV Charging Summit happening in Melbourne. We’ll be working towards making sure that’s a success. There’s also the Melbourne Electric SUV Show coming up, which we will be attending. If you’re around, come and say hi. There will be other organisations like the Australian Electric Vehicle Association and a fair few car brands offering test drives. Pop on in if you’re in Melbourne. It runs from 5th to 11th August, over a weekend as well.
Riz Akhtarr:
Okay Adrian, we’ll wrap it up there and we’ll see you next week.
Adrian Maidment:
Thanks Riz, see you all next time.
