EV sales up and prices down says new EV council CEO
Julie Delvecchio had some fun news to share as she took up the reins of the Electric Vehicle Council as chief executive last week: sales of EVs were up, so we now have 300,000 electric vehicles on the road right now. And even better is t hat prices are down.
About 248,000 are battery electric and about 53,500 are plug-in hybrids., she said on Wednesday after her appointment to the new job last week.
Even better was that prices now start at under $30,000.
One of the reasons for the good numbers might just be because drivers can save up to $3000 a year in fuel.
“EVs are not only saving Australians money, they are improving everyone’s quality of life. More electric vehicles mean quieter streets and cleaner air in our communities. And let’s not forget – EVs are fun to drive with great handling and faster acceleration than petrol cars!
Delvecchio took on the role after Samantha Johnson, former managing director of Polestar Australia, stepped down as interim CEO. The role became vacant after inaugural CEO Behyad Jafari left the job after eight years to pick up the reins as chief growth officer role at Splend, at about the same time in August last year that the Clean Energy Finance Corporation topped its $20 million investment in the in the company with an additional, $20 million.
Splend says it provides “eco-friendly and affordable cars to on-demand drivers, so they can focus on earning an income”.
The company is in nine cities and has a global team of about 150 staff.’
Delvecchio was previously a partner at Fitzpatrick & Co Advisory and head of corporate affairs and sustainability at Ausgrid City of Sydney and AGL Energy, starting her career as medical and education reporter at the Sydney Morning Herald. She also runs her own company – Clear Cut Communications, which advises on the energy transition and policy solutions.
She had also notably spent five years at in various communication roles and was the head of community and stakeholder relations at for more than three years. She first started as a for six years.
Bridgeford Group expands to Sydney and regional Queensland with 3E purchase
Managing director of Bridgeford Group engineering Nick Tassigiannakis said his company’s purchase of Sydney based 3E group will retain all 24 staff, taking total numbers in the merged company to 45.
It also enabled expansion of services to Sydney and regional Queensland.
Among the continuing line up of senior staff is head of growth Emma Lucia.
She told The Fifth Estate that the company’s work had expanded to focus on implementation of energy management programs and performance contracting. This included the potential of providing performance guarantees where it would “design the strategy, engineer the deliver and provide the guarantee” involved in each project. 3E previously provided energy as a service and this was still among its offerings if requested. However, Lucia said clients generally found this option more challenging than other solutions.
Bridgeford’s clients include a mix of local and state government as well as private sector clients ranging from education health and aged care including the national portfolio reviews for Regis Aged Care
Lucia is a mechanical engineer who holds a master of environmental and sustainability degree and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She previously held roles at Monash University over five years and has been involved with policy setting work around more efficient energy use in buildings and how to engage broader take up of this.
White-collar staff have itchy feet
A survey conducted by recruitment advisory firm Robert Walters finds that 56 per cent of Australian employees interviewed were looking to relocate within the next 12 months. Of the more than 7750 white collar workers interviewed; 54 per cent were looking to relocate to another state in Australia.
Reasons for moving included higher salary (48 per cent), better job opportunities (22 per cent), lower cost of living (13 per cent) and desire for better work life balance (13 per cent).
Also notable is that New Zealand is struggling to retain talent, with 42 per cent of New Zealand respondents indicating that they had plans to move to Australia, but only 2 per cent of Australia were considering moving to New Zealand.
The firm’s chief Shay Peters said that most employers are unaware of this, despite over half of the workforce thinking about relocation. She adds that companies need to do better to retain talent.
Jobs:
Looking for a job that would take you away from the corporate office? The Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation is looking for a head gardener to manage the curation, management, care, and interpretation of gardens at Fed Square and Laak Boorndap. The public garden is unique for its planting style, density and most importantly climate resilience. Those with experience in dealing with the dry summer climate will be favourably regarded.
Back in the corporate world, the Resilient Building Council is keen to recruit more assessors and expand the training to other states. Check out Willow’s story on the council and their work. It’s a great read -especially in these hellfire/flooding times.
Trying to hire from the best in the industry? Send us your copy plus a logo, and we’ll do the rest for $250+ GST. Or try the DIY jobs board at just $150+ GST. Send a note to advertising@thefifthestate.com.au.