Tritium secures big deal with BP

Kudos to Brisbane-based electric charging company Tritium, which has secured the largest order in the company’s history from energy giant bp.

Kudos to Brisbane-based electric charging company Tritium, which has secured the largest order in the company’s history. Energy giant bp will deploy Tritiium chargers across the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia. Tritium anticipates manufacturing the chargers destined for bp’s European and American markets in the company’s Lebanon, Tennessee facility, which opened last August and is expected to reach an annual production capacity of 30,000 units. The chargers for bp’s Australia markets are expected to be manufactured in Tritium’s Brisbane factory, which has a capacity of 5,000 units per year. The announcement comes two months after Tritium chief executive Jane Hunter joined bp chief executive Bernard Looney for the Australia launch of bp’s global electrification brand, bp pulse. The executives appeared together to officially open the new bp pulse fast charge points at bp Bayside at Brighton East in Melbourne.

US President Joe Biden has announced a $US7.5bn infrastructure plan including a national chain of EV charging stations across the country to facilitate long-distance travel, as well as shorter distance travel within communities. “The US will lead the world in electric vehicles,” says Biden. “Up until now, China had been in the front but that is about to change. Up and down the country, people will have easy access to quick and easy electric charging stations made by Tritium with American parts and labour.”

Tritium made Yurika electric vehicle charging station at Northshore, Hamilton.

Easy being Green

We knew he was a renaissance man but even your diarist didn’t believe veteran stockbroker Charlie Green was brave enough to dip his toe into community politics on the glitter strip.

Green (illustrated), whose day job is as director of Hunter Green Institutional Broking, has popped up as president of the Budds Beach Community Association (BBCA), representing the interests of the good burghers of the haven in the middle of Surfers Paradise.

The purpose of the BBCA is to protect and promote the interests of the residents of Budds Beach, who live in the area of mostly low rise and owner occupied homes to the west of Oak Avenue. Green and his fellow residents are currently fighting two immense towers, recently approved by the Gold Coast City Council right on their doorstep.

“With council elections early next year, and some council positions held on wafer-thin margins, it’s important that our community voice is heard by those we elect, and pay, to be our advocates in local government,” Green says.

Green and the BBCA also is leading a push for Budds Beach to be recognised as its own suburb, in the same way as other communities are recognised in the Surfers Paradise 4217 area, including Chevron Island, Paradise Waters, and Main Beach. The Budds Beachers say this will lift the sense of “community” and help preserve the unique attributes of the suburb.

Residents of Budds Beach are calling for the area to be its own suburb. Local Ian Maynard and his dogs Ollie and Enzie. Picture Glenn Hampson

Sherry Talks

High-profile business executive and now QUT chancellor Ann Sherry will be guest speaker at a lunch Wednesday for sponsors of the university’s hugely popular Business Leaders Forum series. Born in Gympie, Sherry attended South Brisbane private girls school Somerville House and the University of Queensland, as well as living and working in the United Kingdom for several years. She went on to hold executive management positions within the Westpac group, including as chief executive of Bank of Melbourne. In 2007 she was appointed to be chief executive of leisure company Carnival Australia, before transitioning into the role of executive chair, a position she held until 2019.