Electric Vehicles will become more reliable, affordable, and commonplace in Victoria under a State 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 Minister said 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.
“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,” said Ms Tierney.
It’s expected 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.
“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,” said RMIT Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Alec Cameron.