Labor commits to Geelong-based battery manufacturing facility

Deakin University has welcomed the Labor Party’s pledge to support a battery manufacturing plant in Geelong if it wins the federal election, to help accelerate an electric vehicle future.

The election commitment, which includes $2 million for Deakin to establish a sodium-ion battery pilot facility, was announced by Labor’s Innovation, Industry, Science and Research spokesman Kim Carr as part of a $57 million Electric Vehicle Manufacturing and Innovation Strategy package. The package aims for 50% of all new cars sold in Australia to be electric by 2030.

Deakin Vice-Chancellor Professor Jane den Hollander AO said she was pleased that the Labor Party will support Australia’s move to a low-carbon future through advanced manufacturing leadership, which the university has focused on through cutting-edge research and design.

“This new facility will build on the work of Deakin, which has invested significantly in developing improved energy storage, with our BatTRI-Hub centre led out of the world-leading Institute for Frontier Materials, along with current construction of a $30 million Renewable Energy Microgrid set to power the university’s Waurn Ponds Campus,” Prof den Hollander said.

“The emerging technology of sodium for use in batteries has the potential to offer safer and lower-cost battery technology for the kind of large-scale storage that will be required by the electric vehicle industry and for commercial and residential use into the future.

“This includes for the commercial vehicle industry, which could help to revolutionise the environmental impact of heavy vehicles.

“We are experiencing growing global need for research in innovative renewable energy systems, and the demands on energy networks are changing rapidly as technology and knowledge tries to keep up with the growing shift by industry, consumers and governments towards sustainable generation and distribution.

“It has never been more important for governments to support universities like Deakin to help drive the renewable energy revolution.”

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/bizoo_n

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