Essay by Eric Worrall
Aussie federal climate minister Chris Bowen plan is to force mainly US ICE manufacturers to buy carbon credits from mainly Chinese EV manufacturers.
Bowen goes full throttle on electric vehicles
The Climate Change and Energy Minister’s most intense battle – over fuel efficiency standards – is about to begin.
Jennifer Hewett Columnist
Mar 7, 2024 – 3.43pm…
Tesla’s Australian representative has just exited the board of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), one of the most vocal critics of the government’s preferred model, and will quit official membership on June 30.
That’s after FCAI chief executive Tony Weber’s loud warnings that the strictness of a 60 per cent-plus reduction in emissions over five years will add thousands of dollars to the cost of Australia’s most popular vehicles.
In its resignation letter, Tesla says such claims are “demonstrably false” and are likely to deceive or mislead consumers, accusing the association of “cherry-picking the most polluting variants”. It wants the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to investigate.
…
From January 1, manufacturers will have to compensate for their higher-emitting vehicles by importing more fully electric cars, hybrids or other lower-emissions vehicles to meet a target that will reduce every year.
The alternative is to buy credits from manufacturers that easily meet the target – such as Tesla and other EV makers.
…
Read more (paywalled): https://www.afr.com/policy/energy-and-climate/bowen-goes-full-throttle-on-electric-vehicles-20240307-p5famt
Federal climate minister Chris Bowen makes regular comedy appearances on WUWT. Bowen is the technological illiterate who told us in 2022 that we can store electricity like water.
Bowen’s latest brainstorm is as absurd as his previous efforts. Australia is not remotely EV ready.
The biggest problem, even if everything else lined up, our electric grids couldn’t cope with lots of EVs being charged. The following is a WUWT article discussing a report by the AEMO, Australia’s official electricity industry body, showing all of Australia’s East Coast electric grids except Tasmania are on track for serious systemic shortages. Bowen’s punitive regulatory attacks on fossil fuel dispatchable electricity, his blind faith in fantasy solutions such as grid scale battery backup, and Bowen’s ban on dispatchable zero carbon nuclear energy are not helping this situation.
Another big problem is the state of our roads. Drive even slightly outside the big cities or major highways, and even roads marked on maps as major connecting roads are pothole pitted disasters. If you ever plan a road trip around Australia and intend to visit the outback, make sure you purchase the comprehensive insurance plan.
Endurance is a big problem. Tradies, people who rely on their vehicle for work, frequent spend a significant part of their day driving between jobs. An EV would be hopeless for such a task, especially in adverse weather conditions. Hertz recently announced the selloff of 20,000 rental EVs due to lack of demand. People who rent vehicles generally like to be able to use them, and a vehicle which dies after a few hours driving, and needs hours of charging to recover, is of limited use to people who rent automobiles.
And there is availability of chargers.
Most towns in the Aussie outback we encountered were friendly, tidy, welcoming places, but there were exceptions. An exception was a town in Western New South Wales. We stopped for 5 minutes for a quick toilet break, after being on the road for hours.
During the stop I talked to a serviceman repairing a nearby public EV charger. He told me that charger needs frequent service, because of the local gangs.
While waiting for my wife and child to use the toilet, two drunk teenagers did a very obvious walk by of my vehicle, checking out our stuff. The EV repairman kept the back of his van locked while he was working, even though he was standing next to it.
It is difficult to imagine a worse place to stop and wait for hours for your vehicle to recharge, but if you are insane enough to take an EV into outback New South Wales, on the edge of the Australian desert, you don’t have a lot of options. In such a sparsely populated place, distances between towns are enormous, and you would have to take what you can get. Even fuel stops are few and far between in such places.
Personally I’m glad I was driving a heavy 4WD SUV with a bull bar, and not just for the endurance and rugged road handling. We hit multiple animals on that trip, including one terrifying encounter with a feral pig which dashed straight under my wheels at highway speed, and bumped the left side of my vehicle 20 degrees above level. Much higher and my vehicle might have tipped over. I shudder to think of what would have happened I had hit the pig while driving a Tesla, the armor plate on the bottom of my vehicle took a beating when I hit the pig, though thankfully it survived without needing repair.
How will Aussies react to this political attempt to crush the gasoline and diesel vehicle market? Personally I’m hoping Aussies will kick the bums out of office in next year’s election, but the mainstream green “conservative” opposition is so hopeless there is a chance they will cling to power.
How will the USA react to having Australia tax US automakers, then pay the collected cash to China? Australia is such an insignificant auto market US automakers might not care. But supporting US automakers has been a high profile issue in the USA lately, so an ally like Australia discriminating against US automakers in favour of Chinese manufacturers might attract some attention.
If the US government does decide to push back, they have a lot of levers to pull, from threatening retaliatory sanctions against Australian products, right up to re-opening discussions about Australia’s high profile deal to purchase US nuclear submarines.
He’s not called “Bone Head Bowen” for nothing!
Maybe this bonehead has the added bonus of osteoporosis?
If Bowen is like some American counterparts, just follow the money, source to corrupt official.
That’s right, electric cars aren’t a good choice for the Outback, road trips to Yellowstone or the eclipse next month. They’re probably just fine for trips around town if you can charge them at home. Otherwise they pretty much suck.
Eric,
You forgot this article in The Australian:
“Fuel efficiency standards could force brands out, expert claims”
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/motoring/fuel-efficiency-standards-could-force-brands-out-expert-claims/news-story/3dadda7fceb7533a4dec3faef6ce61c6?commentId=011db4c1-cca3-493d-83b7-e1b52ec77bfc
A few quotes:
“Barbara Kiss, who was director of emissions compliance for General Motors in the US, said the Australian regulations were the “most aggressive targets in the world” and could lead to head offices reviewing their commitment to Australia.”
“She said the legislation needed to include a “fair transition” to the tougher emissions standard.
The Australian standard was particularly tough on diesel-powered four-wheel-drive wagons that towed caravans and boats.”
“Under the new regime, they will be expected to match passenger vehicle targets, while in the US they were given the same classification as pick-up trucks.”
In the US pick-up trucks have an exemption due to their weight classification. But not here in OZ.
It would appear that Transport Minister Catherine King and Blackout Bowen are either illiterate technically or their staff are or both the ministers and staff. It also could be that the collective have problems reading beyond the first paragraph. At least Albo can read 1 A4 page at most
Thus far we’ve had three reports of auto grand kidnap by EVs and in each case the police were given the task of bringing them to a halt – forcibly. It’s bad enough with my old ICE car, that has the usual electronic engine management etc, but it is independent of the manufacturer, of software updates and more importantly, potentially lethal glitches.
“”The Jaguar finally stopped when it ran out of miles. Mr Owen said: “I had 10 miles, 5 miles and then it said on the screen zero miles stop the car and then the car started gently slowing down and going to zero.” “The police were saying on the phone they are going to drive off a bit further and they will stop and then I can roll into the back of the police car and stop the vehicle. I went into their car a few times””
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1874690/my-electric-jaguar-had-brakes-hit-90mph-m62-i-thought-i-going-die
As for Chinese batteries…
“”Safety watchdogs have ordered the recall of almost 2,000 electric buses over fears they can catch fire if left unattended. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has warned operators who use the Alexander Dennis Enviro200 and Enviro400 single and double decker buses of the critical safety issue. The buses are currently operational across the UK, with more than 600 in London and a further 100 in Manchester.””
https://notalotofpeopleknowthat.wordpress.com/2024/03/03/britains-e-bus-ticking-timebomb-how-nearly-two-thousand-electric-buses-worth-800m-face-urgent-recall-over-fears-they-could-see-burst-into-flames/
They export rubbish. You have been warned!
I wonder if the guy turned on the heater and AC.
Speaking of EV fires, it looks like they isolated the cause of the Felicity Ace fire:
https://www.motor1.com/news/711302/vw-lawsuit-felicity-ace/
And VW thought that the diesel scam was expensive.
“Porsche, there is no substitute.”
Since nothing this twatwaffle says effects America he can just keep flapping his lips.
It makes it more difficult for some US businesses to trade in Australia.
Then don’t. Refuse to do business in Australia. Plenty of business to be done in America, look at the black-market potential Joe Xiden is creating.
Way, way off topic and I do apologise for that, but I have the defining piece of music for the 2024 Biden campaign
With subtitled lyrics
Lyrics if you view it on youtube!
The uploader has not made this video available in my country.
Where are you in the world? It’s the sex pistols: pretty vacant…
“There’s no point in asking, you’ll get no reply
Oh, just remember I don’t decide
I got no reason, it’s all too much
You’ll always find us out to lunch
Oh, we’re so pretty, oh, so pretty
We’re vacant
Oh, we’re so pretty, oh, so pretty
A vacant
Don’t ask us to attend ’cause we’re not all there
Oh, don’t pretend ’cause I don’t care
I don’t believe illusions ’cause too much ain’t for real
Stop your cheap comments ’cause we know what we feel
Oh, we’re so pretty, oh, so pretty
We’re vacant
Oh, we’re so pretty, oh, so pretty
A vacant
Oh, we’re so pretty, oh, so pretty
And now
And we don’t care”
USA
Easy to search: Sex Pistols – Pretty Vacant
Sorry, I got stuck on this French bridge. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IFNK8QgXMjs
Most of the larger EVs from China come with onboard generators. 50-100 miles of EV range for daily driving, generators for long distance trips.
The upcoming Ramcharger will have a similar configuration.
One example https://www.autospies.com/news/index.aspx?submissionid=120215
No idea whether they can be fitted with pig deflectors.
Even if the front and underside is as tough as my 4WD SUV, that would be one hell of a mechanical shock for the batteries.
Yes it’s scary what a collision by a wild animal can do to a vehicle.
My 100 Series Landcruiser once got barreled side on by a big male kangaroo that was being chased by a pack of dogs.
Stove in every panel on one side of the Cruiser. He literally bounced along the whole side.
Well Eric, it’s another leftist policy, so why are you surprised that it hasn’t been though through.
Nothing ever is by the left.
Rationality lives on the right.
Stuff the Chinese controlled spy EVs-
Chinese ‘spy cranes’ in US shipping ports ARE equipped with secret modems that could be used for espionage or sabotage, probe finds (msn.com)
For all the suckers know the Commies can kidnap them and ignite the batteries anytime they want to.
In Commies the climate changers trust! LOL doomsters.
A pathetic analogy. The rain may not always fall, but the river always runs.
From the Telegraph. When its their own money and no tax penalties, as there are with ICE company cars, people just are not buying them.
Chris Bowen and Sleazy Albanese spearhead a team of Labour Party Morons who are at present in charge of Australia. They were elected to the positions in parliament by a population which was concentrating on football results at the time of voting and missed the chance to notice that the Labour Party was even more clueless than the Liberal Party, thus restricting the chance to vote for intelligent people. When people have been infected with the Climate Change Virus, there is little hope left for a country which will eagerly plunge to its own destruction.
This guy is pathetic.
It boils down to one truism.
You cannot regulate technology into existence.
Just because you vote that all space craft will be able to exceed light speed by 2050, does not mean that is possible to meet that standard.