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Electric vehicles
Speaker abstracts and biographies
Chair: Darryl Budgeon, National Secretary, Australian Electric Vehicle Association
Daryl Budgeon has been National Secretary of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association for the last three years, and in that capacity a member of the advisory group to the Victorian Government electric vehicle trial. He has an on-going interest in efficient transport and emerging technology and has done analysis on public transport choices for interest groups. He is a resident of Melbourne and holds a degree in Transport from the RMIT.
With many years experience in transport, distribution planning and warehousing, and over 15 years in automotive manufacturing with respected first tier suppliers. Specialising in supply and manufacturing planning, responsibilities have included production and supply of electronic and electrical components.
Ending the world’s dependence on oil
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Alan Finkel, Chief Technology Officer, Better Place Australia
Alan Finkel is a respected engineer, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the Chief Technology Officer of Better Place Australia and the Chancellor of Monash University. Alan completed his undergraduate and doctoral studies in engineering at Monash University before serving for two years as a neuroscience research fellow at the John Curtin School of Medical Research at The Australian National University.
In 1983, Alan established Axon Instruments, a supplier of electronic and robotic instruments and software for use in cellular neuroscience, genomics and drug discovery. In 2000 Axon listed on the Australian Stock Exchange until it was acquired by the US firm Molecular Devices Corporation in 2004.
Post Axon, Alan co-founded COSMOS and G magazines to promote science awareness and sustainability; led the establishment of the Australian Course in Advanced Neuroscience; fostered initiatives to reinvigorate secondary school science education; and co-founded a company distributing educational toys and books for children.
Alan is a Fellow and previous Board Director of the Australian Academy of Technological Science and Engineering (ATSE). He formerly held governance roles at the ATSE Clunies Ross Foundation, in child-abuse research and medical research.
Australia's EV vision: Mass market or niche?
Electric vehicles are coming to Australia also, but what factors will determine whether they become a niche market or make a fuller contribution to the environment and energy efficiency?
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Dan Thompson, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Nissan Motor Company (Australia)
Dan Thompson assumed leadership of Nissan in Australia and New Zealand in 2008 after several years as Regional Controller for Nissan operations in Asia, Oceania, Africa, South America and the Middle East. On completion of an MBA through the University of California in 1999, he began his career with Nissan North America as a Senior Financial Analyst. He moved to Nissan Global Head Office in Japan in 2005 where he became General Manager Controller, General Overseas Markets responsible for Nissan operations in Asia, Oceania, Africa, Middle East, & Latin America.
He now is responsible for Nissan’s performance in Australia with oversight of all aspects of the company’s business functions including Product Planning, Sales and Business Management and the its aluminum casting plant in Victoria. With an annual turnover of more than $1.6b and employment of approx 400 people Nissan ranks sixth on the automotive manufacturers ladder with a market share of 6.1 percent.
Nissan is also a local automotive components manufacturer producing almost two million aluminum castings per annum which are exported to Nissan factories in Japan, US, Thailand, Mexico and local customers.
Electric vehicles – a paradigm shift in energy use and management?
The introduction of electric vehicles into Australia is rapidly taking place. The pace of introduction is increasing and the vision of quiet clean electric vehicles on the streets is changing from fiction to reality. The i MiEV will be here in 2010, conversions occurring daily and there is a pent up demand for EV’s (plug-in hybrid as well as pure EV). The change in transportation from a total internal combustion reliant mode to a combination of electric and internal combustion will no doubt surprise many.
The key factors will be to prepare for this change in energy use, what are the energy implications, and how to successfully manage this introduction.
Summary of presentation:
- What is the current electric vehicle environment from a support and infrastructure
Implications for:
- Drivers
How will the energy infrastructure change to match an evolving market?
Infrastructure - active planning versus reactive implementation.
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James Brown, Managing Director, ChargePoint
James Brown has over 30 years extensive experience as a senior finance executive in listed and multinational companies covering financial services, retail and energy. Prior to joining ChargePoint James was the CFO of Babcock Brown Power BBP (now Alinta Energy), the listed electricity generator and gas retailer. This business acquired the Alinta electricity generating and gas retail operations which has over 500,000 customers (retail wholesale and industrial). Prior to BBP, James was the CFO of Foodland Associated the third largest listed grocery retail company in Australia.
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