PACE OF PROGRESS

The rapid EV roll-out by established car brands will make Tesla look inexperienced and disorganised. The Californian company began building its first truly mass-market EV, the medium Model 3, last July but has found ramping up the production-line pace a tough task.

Tesla’s plan was always to supply the US homeland first. Export production, including in right-hand drive, was scheduled for 2019. But the Australian section of its website now warns those who reserve a Model 3 of a wait of “12 to 18 months” for delivery, so some buyers may wait until 2020.

Jaguar will get through the same process with its new I-Pace in three months, not three years. Deliveries in Europe, in left and right-hand drive, start in July and the Jaguar will go on sale here in October. Even before the I-Pace’s price was known, Jaguar Land Rover Australia had more than 20 firm orders, says public affairs manager James Scrimshaw. Jaguar retailers in Sydney and Melbourne report interest from current Tesla owners and potential Tesla buyers, he says.

Many of the EVs heading for Australia will have Tesla-like real-world driving ranges of 300km-500km. But making long-distance EV travel properly practical will need a network of direct current fast chargers, able to refill a battery much more quickly than the typical alternating current wallbox seen in home garages or workplace parking slots.