BASF Australia colleagues share their experience with EVs
You may not see electric vehicles (EVs) very often on the road, but that will change in the years to come as the industry anticipates over 30 million EVs on the road globally by 2030. Through our production of battery materials, a crucial component in the EV ecosystem, BASF has been working to make EVs even more sustainable by improving how EV batteries are made, from sourcing to production and recycling.
Aligned with this objective, BASF Australia also added first all-electric vehicle, the Audi e-tron to its corporate fleet in June 2021 to use when visiting customers, sites and industry events to underline not just BASF's commitment to electromobility, but to also increase public awareness, provoke conversation and allow colleagues to experience e-mobility. Since then, this BASF-branded EV has been used at several BASF events and sites in Western Australia and BASF colleagues shared their experiences using the vehicle.
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First up was David Peake, Regional Sales Manager, BASF Agricultural Solutions, who typically travels quite extensively in his role. After taking the car for a spin, David says, "It's an absolutely beautiful vehicle to drive, as the acceleration and stability are phenomenal. In fact, the amount of power available is quite intoxicating." Over the four days that David spent with the vehicle, he was also able to notice some key differences from a typical ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle, sharing, "The first thing you notice is how quiet it is without the engine noise. It can feel a little unnerving at first, but it's also great for listening to music as it almost feels like you have headphones on because of how crisp and clear it sounds."
He sums up his experience with the car by saying, "It's amazing that I'm now able to charge the car to about 80% of a 'full tank' within just 35 minutes, which is much faster than before. I believe that with WA being a major source of lithium and the growing interest in EVs, we'll see a lot more charging infrastructure being set up in the state over the coming years. Something to also consider is that it is pretty sunny in Perth, which has led to me installing solar panels on the roof of my home to harvest this renewable energy. There's certainly an opportunity to use our abundant solar energy to power EVs, making them an even more viable and sustainable means of transportation!"
Ross Dunne, Sales Generalist, echoes some of David's observations after getting some time on the road with the vehicle saying, "I enjoyed driving the EV, especially with all the technology and features that are present on the vehicle. I also found the quietness and overall speed of the car to be a novel experience, although I must say that despite liking the fancy tech gadgets in the car, I'm a little old school as I still love the sound of an engine revving. Perhaps that'll change in time."
"What's fantastic about being able to drive this EV around is that our customers notice the vehicle almost immediately, and once they find out it's an electric vehicle, they usually have a lot of questions and interest in finding out what the user experience with it is like." Ross continues, "All the growers and reps from other seed companies who saw the vehicle were impressed with the 'new' BASF company car."
It was an enlightening experience for BASF Australia colleagues to experience EVs first-hand and understand some of the ongoing discussions and considerations that will have to be addressed in rolling out electromobility in Australia. Whilst EVs may still be very much a niche product in Australia, as with most other countries, it's undeniable that the myriad of technological, environmental, and sustainable benefits that come from EVs make them the undeniable future of mobility.