❓ Mr. Baker asks about measures to support EV ownership and grid reinforcement. The Minister details grants for EV purchases and workplace chargers, highlighting smart technology integration for grid management and future readiness.
AnsweredQoN 58Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ELECTRIC VEHICLE STRATEGY
58. Mr G. BAKER to the Minister for Energy:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's efforts to reduce carbon emissions while safeguarding our
electricity system.
(1) Can the minister advise the house of the measures
being implemented to make it easier to own an electric vehicle?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how these measures will provide additional
reinforcements for WA's electricity system?
58. Mr G. BAKER to the Minister for Energy:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's efforts to reduce carbon emissions while safeguarding our
electricity system.
(1) Can the minister advise the house of the measures
being implemented to make it easier to own an electric vehicle?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house how these measures will provide additional
reinforcements for WA's electricity system?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for the question. I acknowledge that he drives an electric
vehicle. I appreciated the fact that he was prepared to let us use his electric
vehicle on Thursday last week when we announced another step forward in our
electricity rollout.
Mr P.J. Rundle : Does he have
to pay for it?
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : That is an
interesting question because it has nothing to do with the government. As the
member knows, Parliament House is operated completely independent of
government. If the member wants to find out information about the operations of
Parliament House, he should ask Parliament House because it has nothing to do
with the Minister for Energy.
The SPEAKER : Minister, I hope
no-one is reflecting on the Speaker.
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : I am not.
The SPEAKER : Not you!
Mr
W.J. JOHNSTON : Absolutely not. I am
just making the point that as a minister, I cannot answer any questions about the operation of Parliament House.
Last
week, we added to our incentives for electric vehicle rollout in Western Australia.
We have already provided $3 000 grants to people who buy an EV, and last week
we announced the Charge Up Workplace Grants Program, which is a $15 million
program to help workplaces install DC chargers. The first round is open and
$3.75 million of grants are available now. People can apply to Energy Policy WA
for those grants. They can get up to $50 000 in total in the metropolitan area
or $75 000 in regional Western Australia, reflecting the fact that it can often
be more expensive to install this infrastructure in regional Western Australia.
The organisations that can apply for the grants include not-for-profits, small
businesses, medium-sized businesses and local governments. People can do
destination charging; perhaps a hospitality business in regional Western Australia
could put in a DC charger so that more people come to its business as opposed
to a different business. A local government could electrify its vehicle fleet,
or a small business or a medium-sized business that might have back-to-base
operations such as a courier service could electrify its vehicles and have them come back to base. The
good news is that we are going to require software in these installations so that they can communicate with the grid. One
challenge that has been noticed around the world—research has been done
on this in various parts of the world—is that if governments do not
have smart technology in their chargers, they can end up with challenges in
managing the grid. We are looking at the experiences elsewhere in the world and
getting ahead of those challenges, which means that these DC chargers will
actually help us to manage the grid.
I know that there are some dinosaurs
in the Liberal Party and elsewhere that oppose the transition to fight climate
change, but I am fully embracing it. I understand that means the electricity
system is more complex than it was 20 years
ago, when certain people were involved in the system, but this more dynamic
system can get a benefit out of EVs charging when the grid has
additional load and discharging when the grid needs an additional injection of energy. This is really good news. It is a step
along the pathway for a decarbonised future. Given that so many global manufacturers are going to stop making internal combustion engines within seven
or 15 years from today, we have to be ready for the high volume of electric
vehicles that are coming, and this is the first step along that pathway.
thank the member for the question. I acknowledge that he drives an electric
vehicle. I appreciated the fact that he was prepared to let us use his electric
vehicle on Thursday last week when we announced another step forward in our
electricity rollout.
Mr P.J. Rundle : Does he have
to pay for it?
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : That is an
interesting question because it has nothing to do with the government. As the
member knows, Parliament House is operated completely independent of
government. If the member wants to find out information about the operations of
Parliament House, he should ask Parliament House because it has nothing to do
with the Minister for Energy.
The SPEAKER : Minister, I hope
no-one is reflecting on the Speaker.
Mr W.J. JOHNSTON : I am not.
The SPEAKER : Not you!
Mr
W.J. JOHNSTON : Absolutely not. I am
just making the point that as a minister, I cannot answer any questions about the operation of Parliament House.
Last
week, we added to our incentives for electric vehicle rollout in Western Australia.
We have already provided $3 000 grants to people who buy an EV, and last week
we announced the Charge Up Workplace Grants Program, which is a $15 million
program to help workplaces install DC chargers. The first round is open and
$3.75 million of grants are available now. People can apply to Energy Policy WA
for those grants. They can get up to $50 000 in total in the metropolitan area
or $75 000 in regional Western Australia, reflecting the fact that it can often
be more expensive to install this infrastructure in regional Western Australia.
The organisations that can apply for the grants include not-for-profits, small
businesses, medium-sized businesses and local governments. People can do
destination charging; perhaps a hospitality business in regional Western Australia
could put in a DC charger so that more people come to its business as opposed
to a different business. A local government could electrify its vehicle fleet,
or a small business or a medium-sized business that might have back-to-base
operations such as a courier service could electrify its vehicles and have them come back to base. The
good news is that we are going to require software in these installations so that they can communicate with the grid. One
challenge that has been noticed around the world—research has been done
on this in various parts of the world—is that if governments do not
have smart technology in their chargers, they can end up with challenges in
managing the grid. We are looking at the experiences elsewhere in the world and
getting ahead of those challenges, which means that these DC chargers will
actually help us to manage the grid.
I know that there are some dinosaurs
in the Liberal Party and elsewhere that oppose the transition to fight climate
change, but I am fully embracing it. I understand that means the electricity
system is more complex than it was 20 years
ago, when certain people were involved in the system, but this more dynamic
system can get a benefit out of EVs charging when the grid has
additional load and discharging when the grid needs an additional injection of energy. This is really good news. It is a step
along the pathway for a decarbonised future. Given that so many global manufacturers are going to stop making internal combustion engines within seven
or 15 years from today, we have to be ready for the high volume of electric
vehicles that are coming, and this is the first step along that pathway.
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