News Archive

With electric vehicles soaring in popularity worldwide and 23 renewable energy vehicle (REV) charging stations around WA, a new program is a win-win for green transport, and for the student who developed it.

Stuart Speidel, a PhD student  from The University of Western Australia's School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, last week won the ‘Student Domain' in the 2014 National iAwards  for his project REView.

REView is a web-based package that collects statistics about electric vehicle use, charging stations, and usage of renewable energy resources.  It will help drivers, fleet managers and charging station operators to make more effective business decisions, for example by providing information about battery levels, money spent and CO ₂ saved.

Stuart (25, from Northbridge) acknowledged his supervisor, Professor Thomas Braunl, and UWA, for their support when he received his award in Melbourne.  The iAwards honour the best and most innovative solutions and inspirational companies and individuals in the ICT Industry.

Stuart said it was expected that 45 per cent of new cars sold in Perth would be electric by 2030.  "The 2013 Frankfurt motor show, the biggest and most prestigious in the world, was dominated by electric vehicles," he said.

He said REView included apps that track and monitor your vehicle in real time, let you know when your vehicle has stopped charging and show you how much energy you have used.

"REView is free to use, and is student developed and maintained," he said.  "It will benefit the WA community and is the only such network in the State.  It encourages and assists the adoption of REV technology.

"In places such as the UK, Germany and Italy, governments are subsidising the installation of charging stations to meet the global desire to reduce our dependence on oil."

Media references

Stuart Speidel
Rose Nightingale (Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics)  (+61 8) 6488 7886
David Stacey (UWA Media Manager)  (+61 8) 6488 3229 / (+61 4) 32 637 716