Latest reports show that sales of electric vehicles in Australia have more than doubled this year compared to 2022.
But industry experts say the figure could be even higher had the government introduced long-promised fuel efficiency standards.
According to figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, the year-to-date sales of battery electric vehicles (EVs) have hit 80,446 compared to 28,326 for the same period last year, an increase of 185%. EVs made up 7.2% of all motor vehicle sales so far this year.
“We were hopeful it would be high but this is at the top end of our expectations,” the chamber’s chief executive, Tony Weber, said on Tuesday.
Behyad Jafari, who is the Electric Vehicle Council’s chief executive, said that 2023 was the third year in a row that electric car sales had more than doubled from the previous 12 months as supply started to keep pace with demand.
Australians have also had access to cheaper models under $40,000.
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But Jafari said that the supply coming into Australia was still hampered by the fact the government had not yet legislated a fuel efficiency standard which would cap emissions across a manufacturer’s overall sales and provide an incentive for carmakers to sell low- and zero-emissions vehicles and penalise those that don’t.
Recall that the federal government in August revealed the introduction of a fuel efficiency standard had been “overwhelmingly” supported through public consultation. The government said that it would complete an impact analysis and release details of its preferred model for a standard “before the end of this year”.
“It’s pretty disappointing for Australians right across the board,” Jafari said of the delay. “Electric vehicles have been doubling every year in Australia but we’re still about a bit over a double behind other markets around the world, so that does just tell us that if we had access to the same type of cars, or the same models of electric vehicles, and the same quantities, that we could be looking at much higher sales again,”.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
