EV Uptake Rising, Charging Network Growing in Australia

Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen said it is not just people in inner cities buying electric vehicles.

An electric vehicle is plugged in at a workplace in Western Australia on April 23, 2024. Susan Mortimer/The Epoch Times

Australia’s electric vehicle (EV) uptake is rising and the charging network is growing according to two key Albanese government ministers.

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen and Infrastructure and Transport Minister Catherine King unveiled an update (pdf) to Australia’s National Electric Vehicle Strategy on Aug. 2.

The report revealed EV sales made up 9.4 percent of new vehicles sales in the year to the end of April 2024, up from 8.4 percent in 2023 and 3.8 percent in 2022.

Charging infrastructure has also increased to about 900 fast and ultra-fast public EV charging locations available as of the end of March.

“These charging locations support around 2,000 fast and ultra-fast charging plugs and have increased the number of locations available by over 90 percent compared to December 2022,” the strategy said.

Bowen and King said since the release of Australia’s first national electric vehicle strategy in April 2023, the EV landscape has continued to “transform quickly.”

“We have seen uptake rising and the EV charging network growing,” they said.

“Australian consumers have more EV options available than ever, and with the backing of supportive policies, have embraced these with a surge of adoption. This progress can and must continue as we transform towards net zero.”

Within the strategy, the government looked at its progress on expanding EV availability and choice. EV variants available for sale in Australia rose by 56 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year, to 148.

“There was growth in availability of EVs in almost every price category during 2023. There were around eight new models under $60,000 introduced to Australia in 2023, of which three were under $40,000 by the end of the year.”

On Aug. 2, the government also announced $100 million (US$65 million) for energy retailer giant Ampol to deliver EV charging, hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, solar panels, and low carbon liquid fuels.

Ampol is planning to deliver more than 200 new public fast charging bays across its service station network by 2025 via this finance, provided via the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC).

In an interview discussing EV’s on Aug. 2, Bowen said “more and more people say to me they are thinking about buying an EV.”

“They want to buy an EV, but one of the big roadblocks is concern about how far they can get in their EV and the need to access charging. What we call range anxiety. The other one is, of course, the cost, up-front cost of an EV,” he said. 

Bowen added that it’s a myth that only people in inner cities buy electric vehicles, saying they are also popular in the western suburbs in Sydney.

“I live about 20 minutes’ drive from here, south-west Sydney, and I see electric vehicles around me all the time,” he said.

“As people who drive longer, as people in the western suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne, the other cities tend to do, drive longer to get places, realise the benefits of buying an EV in some form.”

Carbon Dioxide Emissions from New Cars Regulated from 2025

The government said its New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) Bill 2024 (pdf) would be a “critical tool” for boosting supply of EV’s at lower price points.

The standard, which will come into play on Jan. 1, 2025, aims to reduce emissions from new passenger cars by more than 60 percent by 2030.

Specifically, the government states emissions will fall by “20 million tonnes by 2030, 80 million tonnes by 2035, and 321 million tonnes by 2050, compared to baseline projections.”

The bill regulates the carbon dioxide emissions of certain road vehicles, by setting emissions targets for cars covered by the standard.

“A person to whom the standard applies in a particular year must ensure that their final emissions value for the year is zero or less. Failure to achieve this may result in a civil penalty,” the law states.

However, the Coalition raised concerns that the NVES will be a tax on family cars and utes following passage of the legislation in May.

Nationals Senator for Victoria Bridget McKenzie said the legislation would add thousands of dollars to the cost of buying many of Australia’s best-selling SUVs, utes, and four-wheel drives.

“A policy that increases the cost of families buying a new car in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis is something the Coalition cannot support, Ms. McKenzie said.

“Nor can we support a policy that will result in families holding onto their existing cars for longer, slowing down the renewal of the fleet with cleaner and more fuel-efficient vehicles and the process of reducing transport emissions.”

The Coalition is aiming for a mix of nuclear energy and renewables to achieve net zero by 2050, while Labor backs renewables supported by gas.