Standards Australia has released nine Australian standards on electric vehicles (EVs) available for public comment until the 8 and 12 May. Consumers Federation Of Australia (CFA) has a representative on the Standards Australia Technical Committee EM-001 which prioritised standards development based on focus areas including vocabulary, occupant safety, and recharging infrastructure.
The draft standards are direct text adoptions of standards from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).
Of particular importance are the standards relating to charging connectors and infrastructure. The current scenario is seeing vehicle manufacturers adopt their preferred configuration for Australia and charging infrastructure manufacturers attempting to deploy the most sought after configuration for the foreseeable future. The public can give strong guidance here, reducing future incompatibility issues. Of the nine standards many are safety related and pertain to standards for protecting users against electric shock.
According to the International Energy Agency, as countries seek to address future energy requirements in a rapidly growing and changing world, achieving sustainable transportation has emerged as a vital mission. Electric vehicles, in particular, represent one of the most promising pathways to increased energy security and reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.
CFA provides volunteer representatives on Standards Australia Technical Committees as part of the CFA Standards Project; if you are interested in finding out more about the Project and/or becoming a volunteer CFA Standards Representative please contact the Standards Coordinator standards@consumeraction.org.
Photo credit: Paul Krueger (cc)