ABSTRACT
Electric vehicles (EV) are hailed as the future of mobility, promising better ecology and new industrial opportunities. Australia possesses many of the key elements to develop an electric vehicle manufacturing industry: critical minerals, advanced industries, skilled workers and consumer demand. But it lacks an active industrial policy for manufacturing that could coordinate these elements and create a major industry at the core of a sustainable, renewables-focused advanced industrial economy. Looking at nations currently leading in the manufacture of EVs, this chapter explores how these countries have taken charge of the opportunities arising from technological innovation, including the role of public policy. It addresses lessons from international experience and the challenges they present for countries, such as Australia, that have yet to gain a footing in this new market.
