Electric utes are perfectly suited to driving in regional Australia but the country needs policy changes and more public chargers to encourage the transport trend.
Ford's electric vehicle business in the US lost $3 billion before taxes over the last two years and is forecasted to lose a similar amount this year. But the company's CFO is not worried and has asked to look at its EV segment as a startup.
Independent powerbroker David Pocock, along with several other MPs from all walks of Parliament, has test-driven a Toyota Hilux ute that was converted into an electric vehicle by a savvy automotive startup launched by two former Atlassian executives.
A philanthropic venture backed by Atlassian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes has injected more than $10 million into electric vehicle startup The Good Car Company.
The first six electric HiLux prototypes have already been manufactured in Roev's Sunshine Coast-based micro-factory, while production plans will see hundreds more of the converted utes hit the road in the next 12 months.
Based on the remarkable improvements in electric vehicle technology and what has been learned in California and elsewhere, Australia is well placed for rapid market growth.
