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https://theconversation.com/if-australia-switched-to-evs-wed-be-more-reliant-on-chinas-car-factories-but-wean-ourselves-off-foreign-oil-252388>
"Australia has huge reserves of coal and gas – but very little oil. Before the
20th century, this didn’t matter – trains ran on local coal. But as cars and
trucks have come to dominate, Australia has become more and more reliant on
imported oil.
Imports now account for around 80% of total refined fuel consumption, the
highest level on record.
If the flow of oil stopped due to war or economic instability, Australia would
have about 54 days worth in storage before we ran out. That would be a huge
problem.
But as more drivers switch from petrol and diesel to electric cars, this
equation will change. We can already see this in China, where a rapid uptake of
electric vehicles has seen oil demand begin to fall.
On one level, ending Australia’s dependence on foreign oil makes sense at a
time of great geopolitical uncertainty. But on the other, going electric would
lead to more reliance on China, now the world’s largest manufacturer of EVs.
Reducing reliance on oil makes clear sense for climate and national security
reasons. But going electric has to be done carefully, to ensure Australia isn’t
reliant on just one country."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
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mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
