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Transition to Electric Vehicles – Overcoming the Cost barrier

May 24th, 2021

Electric Vehicles play a key role in fighting climate change by reducing Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions. CO2 is the most damaging of the greenhouse gases, created by the burning of fossil fuels like oil, natural gas, and coal. 

Europe, Asia and the USA are all much further advanced in their take up of Electric Vehicles than Australia. So what is holding Australia back, and what can we do about it?

Advance Careers recently ran a poll on LinkedIn about the inhibitors holding people back from making the transition to Electric Vehicles, and the results were surprising. We asked: 

What are the biggest inhibitors in transitioning to Electric Vehicles in Australia? 

  • Lack of charging station: 24%
  • Time to charge: 14%
  • Cost of Technology and Vehicles: 40%
  • Lack of Government support: 22%

The high cost of Electric Vehicles was identified as the biggest issue, followed by a lack of charging infrastructure, which has a big impact on the return on investment. But there is an interim solution…Hybrid Vehicles. 

Hybrid Vehicles – the interim solution

Hybrid Vehicles allow users to reduce their CO2 emissions by charging their car in their home garage off electricity, using petrol only for longer trips. Electricity has lower CO2 emissions than petrol or diesel. To further reduce CO2 emissions, a home solar system allows users to charge hybrid vehicles off clean energy and further reduce the running costs of the car.

Hybrid vehicles are available across a range of car manufacturers, to fit everyone’s price bracket and lifestyle. These include:

  • Toyota Corolla SX 
  • Toyota RAV4 GXL 
  • Toyota Camry Ascent Sport 
  • Mitsubishi Outlander 
  • Honda Accord VTi-LX 
  • Subaru Forester 
  • Hyundai Ioniq
  • BMW X5 xDrive45e
  • BMW 330e iPerformance 
  • Lexus ES300h Sports Luxury
  • Lexus LS 500 
  • Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine 
  • Mercedes-Benz C 300e 
  • Porsche Panamera Turbo SE 
  • Porsche Cayenne 

The Mitsubishi Outlander can drive off the battery with a range of up to 54 kilometres, resulting in owners doing a majority of driving off the battery, and only using petrol for long distance trips. This provides a significant reduction in their carbon footprint and running costs. 

Skills shortage in Hybrid and Electric Vehicles

Discussions are in place for Australia to phase out petrol and diesel cars by 2030. From a talent management perspective, we will be facing a significant skills shortage as demand increases for employees skilled in Electric and Hybrid Vehicle programs. As many other countries are more progressed in Electric Vehicles, we can import talent from overseas, but the ongoing pandemic also poses issues with closed borders. 

So what are some things businesses can do to overcome the challenge of the skill shortage?

  • Position your business with a strong Employee Value Proposition to attract the best candidates and be competitive – including an Environment Social Governance (ESG) program to attract candidates passionate about sustainability.
  • Consider setting up a graduate program to develop specific skills in electric vehicles.
  • Establish a mentoring program to ensure knowledge sharing within your organisation, from current employees to other internal staff who want to upskill in EV.
  • Sponsor training programs to upskill your workforce such as the Renewable Institutes Electric Vehicle Course.
  • Offer corporate incentives for staff to buy or lease Hybrid Vehicles. 
  • Partner with a specialist recruiter, who understands EV programs, and knows how to source candidates with unique and niche skill sets.

Key to reaching Net Zero targets

Electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles are integral to achieving Australia’s Net Zero goals, as we race to save the planet. 

Advance Careers specialises in sourcing talent in renewable energy and sustainability including Electric Vehicle Programs, across Australia and Asia. If you need support growing teams with experience in Electric Vehicles, our team can connect you to specialised talent. 

For more great insights, tips, news and career opportunities follow Advance Careers on LinkedIn. If you’ve got a great story or case study to share on how your business is driving progress in the energy sector, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us at info@advancecareers.com.au.