Australia’s fast-developing electric vehicle sector, including public fast-charging network providers, are already helping drive this change by powering their charging stations with renewable energy.

The City of Gold Coast earlier this year installed the world’s first Australian-made Tritium RTM75 fast chargers. The power for these 10 charging stations will be offset by a Virtual Power Plant, which harnesses solar energy from more than 47 city buildings. Tritium’s partnership with Intertie in the United States is another example that sees the Brisbane-based company’s DC fast charging technology connected with underground battery storage and solar canopies that harness and store clean energy.

But tailpipe emissions certainly aren’t the only factor in creating a sustainable, zero emissions transport future. For Mercedes-Benz and its parent company Mercedes-Benz Group AG, the way forward is outlined in its Ambition 2039 strategy, which charts the path for the complete de-carbonisation of all Mercedes-Benz products and production by 2039.

Key to this strategy is the establishment of a new network of clean, green factories that rely on renewable energy sources such as hydro and solar power and use up to 85 per cent of recycled materials in vehicle production. A prototype for this new generation of car plants is already operating near Stuttgart in Germany. Factory 56 at the Sindelfingen plant is the first completely carbon-free car factory in the world.

Carbonbrief.org reports that around half of the emissions from battery production come from the electricity used in manufacturing and assembling the batteries. Hence, if manufacturers are increasingly producing batteries in regions with relatively low-carbon electricity, or in factories powered by renewable energy, battery-related emissions will be substantially reduced. Additionally, as battery prices fall and vehicle manufacturers start including larger batteries with longer driving ranges, reduced emissions from battery production can have an even greater impact on the climate.