The 2021 MTA Queensland Industry Awards Gala will be held on Saturday, 20th November at the Emporium Hotel, South Bank, in Brisbane, and is a celebration of the automotive industry and training excellence, as well as the achievements of MTA Queensland members and MTA Institute apprentices throughout Queensland over the past 12 months.

The Gala will again be hosted by Ben Davis from Channel Seven, who did such an outstanding job of overseeing the evening’s events and entertaining the more than 200 guests who attended the last full Awards Gala, held in the pre-covid days of 2019.

This time around, Ben will be joined by special guest Steven Bradbury, the man who created history in 2002 when he won Australia’s first Winter Olympics Gold Medal at the Salt Lake City Games in the US. In that event, we all remember, Bradbury was the outsider who took the win in the 1000m short-track speed skating event after staying clear of the jostling amongst his competitors and crusing through for the gold after they all tumbled and crashed out on the last lap.

It was an amazing race that capped incredible journey for Bradbury, and he won fans the world over with the honesty and humility he showed after the win. He saw the victory as reward not for one race, but for training seven days a week for 12 years.

To hear Steven talk about his journey and relate his story will make for a terrific evening. However, the highlight of the Industry Awards Gala will be the presentation of the awards that recognise the tremendous work done by MTA Queensland members and MTA Institute apprentices through the year. In next month’s edition of Motor Trader, we will take a look at the finalists for the Apprentice of the Year award. This month, however, we focus on the finalists of the three business awards.

These awards are:

• THE COMMUNITY AWARD, to be presented to an individual or member business who is a role model in their community and this is evidenced by their actions.
• THE INNOVATION AWARD, to be presented to an individual or business that is supporting or implementing innovation in the automotive or mobility industry.
• THE WOMEN IN BUSINESS AWARD, to be presented to a female leader achieving success by their commitment to driving change in the automotive or mobility industry.

As always, those nominated for the award were all extremely impressive and the finalists this year are outstanding representatives of the industry and an example of what can be achieved through hard work and smart thinking coupled to plenty of drive and enthusiasm.

Across Queensland, automotive businesses work tremendously hard to service their communities and adapt to an industry that is going through real and substantial transformation, challenging themselves to be creative and innovative in their approach. Recognising these businesses, and the people that lead them, is a privilege and highlights what tremendous work is being done.

Over the next few pages, you’ll discover more about the great people and businesses that are finalists in these award categories.

ACE Electric Vehicles

Finalist

ACE Electric Vehicles is no stranger to the MTA Queensland industry Awards – back in 2018 the company, and its Managing Director Greg McGarvie, won the Association’s Innovation Award.

The company, a client of the Association’s MTAiQ innovation hub, won the award for its development of a range of EVs – the ACE Cargo Van and the ACE Yewt, both of which are aimed at the urban light commercial vehicle market, and the ACE Urban passenger vehicle.

The vehicles are of an innovative design with a carbon fibre composite ‘skeleton’, panels of ABS plastic, they can be assembled from a modular pack, and have a range of up to 200km. Since 2018, ACE-EV’s innovations have gathered pace and in the past couple of years the company has taken great strides in its quest to be a leader in the electric vehicle space and develop a car manufacturing industry in Australia.

In 2019, the company signed a deal to assemble its vehicles in Adelaide and in 2020, it received federal government funding to develop bi-directional vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging.

Partnering with energy retailer Discover Energy, ACE-EV is set to trial the technology and use Discover Energy’s Virtual Power Plant (VPP) software to optimise charging times, selling excess energy back to the grid at peak prices.

Also in 2020, ACE-EV signed a memorandum of understanding with AI solutions company SenSen to develop autonomous driving capabilities for its fleet.

To top off a busy few months, in September this year, ACE-EV revealed the newest addition to its burgeoning fleet of vehicles with the innovative modular platform for light electric vehicles, named the V1 Transformer. The V1 Transformer’s architecture offers interchangeable modules for long and short wheelbase, high and low roof, or van and ute, and it will feature the V2G technology amongst other exciting features.

For Greg McGarvie, his company being a finalist for the MTA Queensland Innovation Award once again is recognition of the development of
the business and also a reminder that the Association played some small role in helping his company gain momentum.

“I am very pleased that ACE EV Group is a finalist in the category for innovation because, in effect, MTA Queensland commenced this adventure for us when they generously facilitated the build of the very first electric vehicle,” he said.

“MTA Queensland would remember our takeover of part of its workshop and that the vehicle was built over six days – with a mechatronics engineer from Germany working with our local engineer – and then driving out of the workshop on the seventh day. ACE-EV Group will always remember the great start provided by MTA Queensland and the assistance provided by the team back in March 2019.

“MTA Queensland is a dynamic organisation that recognises innovation, and that’s very encouraging for Australia and Queensland’s future.

“And it is gratifying to have ACE EV Group’s ongoing development recognised, as we are breaking new barriers and introducing clever technology and solutions for energy management and low-cost practical transport. This signifies a new era in Australia for electric vehicle manufacturing that incorporates energy management systems and software that can apply across all EVs.”

CLICK HERE to visit the ACE Electric Vehicles website.

e-Motion Concepts

Finalist

The electric vehicle revolution is well underway, and e-Motion Concepts (eMC), founded by Wolfgang Roffman in Brisbane in 2016 and a client of MTA Queensland’s innovation hub MTAiQ, is well on the way to becoming an important player in that new and ever-changing landscape.

The company’s goal is to provide solutions for first- and last-mile transport of goods and people in urban environments and it works to identify future needs by providing access to sustainable and efficient transportation, where Smart Electric Vehicles (SEVs) are part of a connected, integrated transportation system.

eMC, under the Electric Mobility Solutions (EMoS) brand, offer a range of light SEVs, that includes the CT-Kargo and CT-Kube, for deliveries, as well as an expanding portfolio of personal mobility scooters such as the iLark, the iTank and the iTango. In late 2020, EMoS launched the WYLD Moto chopper-style e-moped range which gained widespread attention and strong interest including from national motor dealers. All vehicles have full volume ADR and RVCS compliance.

eMC clearly see new expectations and demands being made on delivery services and logistics and believes the future of logistics should be ‘minimal resources, greater efficiency and clean energy’. The company provides access to software platforms which include fleet management solutions that give operators efficient route planning integrations to make it possible to conduct even smarter deliveries. It is also working on various software app platforms to support hyperlocal delivery and shared solutions for apartment complexes, launching in 2021.

The company’s developments also include battery swap, recycling and solar charging infrastructure and it works to continuously evolve, supporting energy efficient urban mobility and long-term partnerships with companies sharing the same core strategies.

With more than 120 units sold over the past eight months and additional interest and commitment from high-profile national companies – including delivery outfits such as DHL and Couriers Please, rental firm Neuron, and pizza chain Dominos (to which it has delivered more than 50 units) – eMC is set become a major player in the electric vehicle space. Indeed, its forward strategy includes the plan to design, build, manufacture and service SEVs in Queensland as volume demand and distribution channels grow.

The MTA Queensland Awards are designed to recognise such endeavours and for Wolfgang, being a finalist for the Association’s Innovation Award is confirmation that his concepts, and the company’s work, are charged for growth.

“It is truly an honour to be recognised as a finalist for the Innovation Award. We are absolutely ‘electrified’!” he said. “It is recognition and validation for the EMoS team of their efforts and dedication to change the way we transport goods and people, whilst making our urban environments more liveable. We enjoy forming part of the MTAiQ innovation community and greatly appreciate all the ongoing support provided by MTA Queensland. We are looking forward to the event and to share in the recognition of all finalists, members and individuals supporting the sector.”

CLICK HERE to visit the e-Motion Concepts website.

Superformance

Finalist

For those who have an interest in car restoration, modification, and performance upgrades, the name Superformance is one they likely know well. Established in 1978, the business is located in Capalaba near Brisbane and, since 2017, has been a feature of the television show Rides Down Under Workshop Wars, which pits Australia’s best workshops against each other in a competition to build high-performance machines.

It’s a showcase for the talents of the Superformance team – headed by owner Grant Malseed – and their genius in being able to customise, modify, design, and build not only an entire vehicle but just about anything that fits within one and makes it move, has led them into new territory in recent months. Earlier this year, and with funding from the Federal Government, the company launched its newest product – a unique, customisable, Independent Front Suspension (IFS) system designed and engineered entirely in-house using as many Australian-made components as possible.

After recognising the demand for such a component, the idea, said Grant when talking to Motor Trader back in February, was to build an IFS product to significantly improve braking, steering, and handling, and operate in a superior manner to OEM products.

“We saw a massive appetite for IFS products in the USA and from automotive businesses and consumers in Australia,” he said. “We are really proud to be leading in the innovation space for the automotive industry. We have limited competition as it is such a niche market, and our product quality is unrivalled. We are hopeful for future funding to expand this manufacturing opportunity for Australia’s economy and to support new jobs.”

To market its many products, Superformance has also been busy online and in the digital space. The business has seen its social media platforms grow significantly – scoring nearly 14,000 followers on Facebook – and has launched its own YouTube channel with videos being uploaded weekly that showcase its Queensland-manufactured products as well as its work building street cars, muscle cars and hot rods.

Looking ahead, Superformance aims to streamline and reduce manufacturing times, add more of its own products to its website and create a better experience for the customer by allowing them to tailor their order online and enable the workflow process to be simplified.

It’s clearly an interesting time for the company and Grant said that their work being acknowledged with a position on the shortlist for the MTA Queensland Innovation Award was particularly pleasing.

“We had a team meeting where I thanked all my team – from the designer to the builders to the engineer – and we celebrated with coffee and cakes!” he said. “Here at Superformance, we feel very honoured.”

CLICK HERE to visit the Superformance website.

Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (October 2021)

13 October 2021