July 2010 - Swinburne University of Technology
July 2010 - Swinburne University of Technology
July 2010 - Swinburne University of Technology
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swinburne JULY <strong>2010</strong><br />
SUSTAINABILITY<br />
Universities and other research bodies in Victoria are teaming up to put<br />
Australia at the forefront <strong>of</strong> electric car technology BY BARRY PESTANA<br />
AS THE WORLD battles to keep a lid on<br />
carbon emissions and slow the tempo <strong>of</strong><br />
climate change, electric cars are once more<br />
looking like the alternative to the petrol<br />
vehicles the world has come to rely on.<br />
All but stalling after an initial burst<br />
<strong>of</strong> excitement a few years ago, research<br />
and development in electric cars is now<br />
humming in top gear, with several research<br />
institutions pouring talent and resources into<br />
producing prototypes <strong>of</strong> new-generation, and<br />
fast, electric cars.<br />
In its <strong>2010</strong> research paper on electric<br />
vehicles, the Victorian Automotive Chamber<br />
<strong>of</strong> Commerce (VACC) says technological<br />
advances are changing the face <strong>of</strong> the<br />
automotive industry worldwide, in particular<br />
giant strides in battery technology.<br />
(Researchers at the Imperial College in<br />
London may have developed devices that<br />
create their own power.)<br />
In Australia, the drive has been<br />
championed by institutions such as <strong>Swinburne</strong><br />
<strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Technology</strong>, Deakin <strong>University</strong>,<br />
RMIT <strong>University</strong>, La Trobe <strong>University</strong><br />
and CSIRO, which are collaborating with<br />
each other and with overseas universities to<br />
research and develop lightweight batterycharged<br />
electric cars.<br />
They are supported by several sponsors,<br />
including the Cooperative Research Centre<br />
for Advanced Automotive <strong>Technology</strong>, the<br />
AutoCRC. The CRC was created in December<br />
2005 to secure an Australian position in the<br />
global automotive industry. Its participants<br />
are eight leading vehicle and component<br />
PHOTO: PAUL JONES<br />
6<br />
<strong>Swinburne</strong>’s Pr<strong>of</strong>essor Ajay Kapoor (left), Dr Clint Steele (second from left) and students are driving the<br />
university’s collaboration with China’s Hefei <strong>University</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Technology</strong> on electric vehicle development.