More than 80 companies supplied 104 component systems to the car. Another 20 companies supported the project with services such as emission and engineering testing. All have endorsed the program of marketing activities, and many have or will accompany the car as it travels overseas on its mission of promoting component exports.
The marketing plan covers 14 countries, calling at all of the world’s major carmakers and some of the largest component system integrators. The car has been displayed at the design headquarters of Korean and Japanese carmakers. It was shown at Automechanika Frankfurt, the world’s largest show of its kind and will be exhibited in South-East Asia and finally in the United States in early 2001. It will also be displayed at high-exposure venues in Australia.
Awareness of Greenhouse gas emission issues is growing in Australia and around the world. There is a need to demonstrate that Australia has the technology and the manufacturing expertise to produce low-emission cars. A major project goal was to demonstrate to Government that Australia need not rely on overseas sources for technologies that ameliorate emissions and that the technologies displayed in the aXcessaustralia project are very exportable to the global market.

Australian Industry has readily recognised that it needs to be familiar with emerging technologies. So far the project has completed 24 seminars to disseminate technological information. The seminars have also been used to explore the implications for marketing in a rapidly changing global industry.
Companies worked together in "system groups" to agree on the best technology and sharing of information that would create the best impact for the common good. Australia needs this collaborative approach if it is to compete with the international giants of the industry. A key feature of the project’s message is that the technologies selected are “production-ready” and affordable. It was a prime requirement for the project is that the technologies must be “affordable” – offer high value at competitive prices.
Hybrid-electric cars are already in mass production in Japan and France. For this project to be credible, the car must be technologically sound and at demonstrably lower cost than overseas equivalents. This challenge is met with the unique CSIRO combination of supercapacitors and batteries to provide a “Surge Power Unit” that is lighter and lower cost than overseas power packs. Components for the car provided by industry also demonstrate cost effectiveness because this is vital in penetrating new markets.
The most fundamental underlying aspect of the program however, has been to present the Australian automotive industry as one displaying engineering excellence, R&D development capability, cost competitiveness and readiness to do business.

Many additional benefits have resulted or are promised from the project, including:
* A marked strengthening of the respect and cooperative relationship between the car companies operating in Australia and their suppliers.
* A breakthrough in understanding the benefits of collaboration between Government and industry, and between industry members in pursuing international business.
* An increased respect for CSIRO as a leading technology provider to manufacturing industry.
* A reawakening of public belief in the technical competence of its domestic industry.
* A possible blueprint for how other industry sectors in Australia may proceed to win new business in an increasingly global market.
None of these benefits and successes could be achieved without the establishment of a credible and competent engineering base, the aXcessaustralia Low Emission vehicle itself.


The project builds on the success of the first aXcessaustralia project in 1998, from which more than $700 million of new export business was generated. An equivalent amount or more is confidently expected from the new project.
"aXcessaustralia" is a Registered brand name. Design details and engineering specifications are proprietary to aXcess Australia Projects Limited.
The product is an integration of components designed to promote component exports. The participating companies individually pursue export contracts for their components or negotiate licensing arrangements with overseas companies.
One of the aims of the project is to display to local carmakers that the component suppliers in Australia are capable of meeting any import competition. At this time of a weakening Australian dollar, it is important to maximise competitive local content in locally made cars.
Car importers also recognise that retail price rises caused by a weaker Australian currency can be partly offset by buying more components in Australia, for fitment to their cars after arrival or for export to the overseas assembly operations.
2.10. Product life cycle and environmental considerations

The product offers reduced fuel consumption of more than 50% in city-drive conditions and 90% reduction of the emissions that cause urban air pollution.
Because the car itself will not be mass-produced, and will eventually reside in a museum, environmental considerations for its disposal are not an issue. However, the components comprising the car were all designed to recognise the growing demand by carmakers for componentry that can be readily recycled or re-used.
The external form of the product is relevant inasmuch as it must be eye-catching to experienced car designers and engineers. The interior of the car has to be appealing, yet practical and ergonomically attractive because it is subjected to scrutiny by overseas car designers. The product satisfies all of these criteria and has been widely praised in specialist magazines.
Aesthetic features are important to the product because of a common perception that low-emission cars are often small and awkward. The product has to be appealing to car specialists and also to members of the public when it is displayed publicly.


The car conforms to all relevant Australian Design Rules for cars and electrical safety standards.
Packaging a unique powertrain into a conventional car frame was a major challenge. Initially, it was planned to incorporate the component products from around 30 companies, but as the project progressed, many more companies wanted to have their products included. Finally, products from 81 companies were incorporated into the car.
Technologically, the project is a major challenge. Storing sufficient energy to complete one U.S. city drive cycle is a major challenge in itself. At the same time, generating sufficient power for the car to perform equivalently to a conventional car in terms of acceleration and top speed is a further challenge. These challenges were all overcome with cooperation between project managers, constructor and component manufacturers.
The aXcessaustralia Low Emission Vehicle is a hybrid-electric car, an electric car with the electricity being generated on-board. The car uses less that half of the fuel of an equivalent conventional car by storing energy required for acceleration so that the petrol engine needs to operate less than half of the time. As well, a smaller engine can be used. By reducing fuel consumption 50%, emissions of “greenhouse gases” (Carbon dioxide) are reduced 50%.
When the engine operates, it operates for best emissions rather than maximum power and therefore reduces by more than 90% the emissions that cause urban air pollution compared with a conventional car.
Hybrid-electric cars are already in production overseas, but they use high-cost technologies such as exotic batteries (similar to those used in mobile telephones). The aXcessaustralia Low Emission Vehicle shows that hybrid-electric cars could be produced for a reasonable price premium that could be recovered from fuel cost savings in less than two years.

The aXcessaustralia Low Emission Vehicle is a series hybrid-electric car that uses a novel, Australian, compact internal combustion engine to generate electricity. The electrical energy is stored in a unique surge power unit comprising advanced lead-acid batteries and supercapacitors. The energy management system is unique, maintaining individual voltages of generator, battery and supercapacitor systems and delivers power to a three-section, water-cooled, switched-reluctance drive motor. The power management system enables the car to be driven in normal mode (where the engine operates according to the position of the accelerator pedal and state of charge of the storage system), or electric-only mode. The car meets the most stringent U.S. regulations for emissions. It can operate for one complete city-drive cycle in electric-only mode. In normal mode in the city drive cycle its fuel consumption is less than 5 litres per hundred kilometres.
The car incorporates many novel features in the componentry provided by the participating companies. For example, the car has three navigation systems because three Australian companies offer novel navigation systems that have excellent export potential.
The car has all safety systems considered normal in modern cars, such as latest seat-belt design and air bags. One of the navigation systems includes a system that automatically contacts emergency services in the event of an accident or breakdown. When reversing, a "park pilot" system provides audible warning if an obstacle is dangerously close.
A unique safety system uses sensors in the seat and steering wheel that measures body movement and grip. If the driver’s movements indicate drowsiness, an alert alarm sounds and the driver has to re-set the control which is built into the sun-visor.
The car’s body is made mostly from a light-gauge, high-strength BHP steel known as "low-bake" steel. Many of the car’s components are made from aluminium or magnesium for reduced mass, including a light-metal frame on which the engine and generator are mounted for safety and ease of service.