STORY by KATIE BASTIANS
AN Australia-first trial will convert Perth city council’s petrol-guzzling car fleet to electric power.
The two-year trial will monitor performance, environmental benefits, policy, infrastructure and practical implications for electric vehicle fleets.
UWA Professor Thomas Braunl, the trial’s technical director, said the project would run in conjunction with the Australian fast-charging network trial, which aims to cut charging time by a third.
“With these two interconnected trials we are trying to find out how electric vehicles can cope in the real world, what benefits they bring and also what problems can arise and how they can be solved,” he said.
“The charging data collected will allow us to predict future EV infrastructure requirements as well as future electricity demands and grid loads, when more cars will be electric.”
Local company EV Works will do the conversion.
