THE TRAVELLER SUPERHIGHWAY
In the campsite of the future you probably won’t be sitting around with a tin-foil helmet on, communicating with Martians. But you are likely to park beside someone towing with an electric vehicle, possibly even one with autonomous driving ability, which will surely take all the fun out of watching a novice try and reverse park a 22-footer.
It seems that electric vehicles (EVs) are all the automotive media wants to talk about these days. The fervour is due in large part to the fact European car makers are being forced by legislation to have a certain percentage of EVs or other low- and no-emission vehicles in their model mix in order to stay in business.
Mercedes-Benz, for instance, is aiming for the complete de-carbonisation of its products and production processes by 2039. This means that in less than 20 years the company that invented the automobile is planning to exclusively offer either battery-electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered electric vehicles, and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Elsewhere, brands like VW and BMW have reportedly committed some $75 billion to pump-prime their EV development.
“Lots of major manufacturers now are committing to electrifying their vehicles. So, it’s coming to Australia whether we like it or not. It’s a matter of when, not if,” says Marty Andrews, the CEO of Chargefox, one of Australia’s leading providers of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Toyota says that over the next decade people will buy its electrified vehicles in one of four categories: hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).
IN AUSTRALIA
With this as a backdrop, we wondered, what will the future of towing
