Planning for electric cars in Australia's cities

Abstract

Urban transport technology is about to enter a new phase, one in which there will be less reliance on carbon emissions intensive energy sources such as petroleum based fuels. Australia"s metropolitan planning strategies place their emphasis on public transport, cycling and walking within integrated transport solutions in an effort to minimise carbon emissions. However, global automotive manufacturers now have commercially viable electric cars and petrol electric cars that are about to be introduced to the Australian market place. The model of charging infrastructure for electric cars (using an electric socket in a private garage) complements traditional low density suburban environments, although paradoxically, the limited range of electric cars creates problems in urban enviromnents with dispersed facilities. If there is widespread substitution of electric vehicles for petrol cars, there will need to be fast charge electric charging infrastructure developed on a large scale, which will have significant implications for the development of centres and parking facilities. This paper examines the attributes of the relevant technologies to detennine what the electric charging infrastructure implications would mean within a metropolitan area, using Adelaide as a case study. The planning implications are examined in tenus of the changes that would be required at both the level of strategic plan making and local planning. The paper's conclusions indicate the nature of infrastructure required, likely changes to planning policies, and whether substituting electric cars for petrol cars is the best option for making personal transport in Australia"s low dffisity metropolitan suburbs enviromnentally sustainable. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Original document

The different versions of the original document can be found in:

• https://hdl.handle.net/1959.8/125368

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