An inquiry into the transition to electric vehicles in Australia has heard the Queensland government needs to re-think whether the electricity grid can keep up with the demand for electric vehicles.
The state government has set an ambitious goal of seeing electric vehicles make up 50 per cent of new car sales by 2030, and 100 per cent by 2036.
The number of electric vehicles on Queensland roads has increased from 9,000 to over 47,000 in just two years, according to deputy director general of policy, planning and investment at the department of Public Transport and Main Roads, Andrew Mahon.
Electric-only car manufacturers – namely BYD Auto, Tesla, and Polestar — have now opened stores in Queensland.
It is hoped more EV brands on the market will lead to cheaper options for buyers. (AP: Matthias Schrader, File)
The "extraordinary" number of vehicles now on the market means the "tipping point" where electric vehicles will become cheaper than their petrol counterparts is coming soon, said the deputy director general of energy at the Department of Energy and Climate, David Shankey.
"If customers are driven primarily by price, which we think that they are … it does feel that that problem is going to be changed," he said.
As more electric vehicles hit the market, industry experts have warned the state may not have the right infrastructure to support them.
They are calling for the government to invest in more battery storage options in Queensland to avoid brown outs in suburbs with high electric vehicle usage.
"None of our EV networks have been built with effective storage so that you don't put pressure on the grid, and you actually utilise the grid's energy when it's available," said CEO of Janus Electric, Alexander Forsyth.
"We don't think about how we best utilise our infrastructure. It is under utilised for 18 hours of the day.
"There is a peak in the Australian grid between 4pm and 9pm at night, and that is when most of our households need that energy.
"We need to have storage attached to our electric vehicle networks, and we need to utilise our grid 100 per cent of the time."
Queensland has invested $570 million into a battery industry strategy to keep up with a predicted tenfold increase in demand for battery storage by 2030.
The government is already considering ways to mitigate the increased demand for electricity during peak hours, said Mr Shankey.
One solution is the development of a "smart meter" that would turn a car's charger off during peak hours — reducing both the strain on the grid and cost to consumers.
"They can safely plug in at a particular time, set up their car to only charge at the cheapest rate, so if that means that it's not charging for 15 or 20 minutes or for a couple of hours, they can just leave it in overnight and it will be fully charged at the end of the day, or by the next day," Mr Shankey said.
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