Tesla chairwoman hopeful for Aussie-made EVs

Australian Tesla chairwoman Robyn Denholm has said local auto-manufacturing could be kickstarted once again as electric vehicles gain traction.

As reported by CarAdvice, this week's Australian Minerals Council conference in Canberra, Denholm argued returning to large-scale production of vehicles is still “a possibility” in Australia, and that “if we do, they’ll be electric.”

In her speech, Denholm pointed out that Australia “has the minerals, the know-how and many of the skills” to manufacture new cars on our shores.

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Tesla Model 3

Denholm, who was raised at a service station in Milperra, New South Wales, has taken on a variety of high-ranking accountancy roles in her career, including a seven-year stint at Toyota.

She became the Australian division’s national finance officer before departing in 1996. Denholm joined Tesla as a director in 2014, before moving into her current role as chairwoman in 2018.

Tesla dominates the burgeoning Australian electric market, selling more cars than all other EV brands combined. Last year saw 3430 new Teslas registered nationwide, a 16.3 per cent increase on 2019 figures.

Despite the considerable sales jump, electric cars make up just 0.56 per cent of all new cars sold locally in 2020. The Model 3, which makes up the vast majority of local Tesla sales, is entirely sourced from the marque’s Shanghai plant.

Australia’s full-scale car production industry ended in October 2017, when Holden’s Elizabeth plant was shuttered. It was preceded by the closure of Ford’s Geelong and Campbellfield facilities in 2016, and Toyota’s Altona factory in 2017.

Since then, there has been some hope for a reinvigoration of local car-building within the electric sector. Adelaide start-up ACE EV plans to build 15,000 EVs by 2025, having received a $5 million grant from the Federal Government last year under the Future Fuels Fund.

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The ACE Cargo will cater to light commercial needs

The company will mostly target the commercial sector with its debut vehicles - the Yewt ute and Cargo van - though a four-seater Urban hatch is also planned.

Whilst Tesla itself has never committed to building cars in Australia, senior manager Sam McLean said in 2018 the company would be open to local production “if the opportunity arose.”