Media Release: The Senate gets it, the world gets it, so let’s get Australia on board the great electric vehicle shift

30 January 2019

The newly-released recommendations of the Senate’s Select Committee on Electric Vehicles should be implemented as a matter of urgency, according to the Electric Vehicle Council, so Australia can finally start catching up to the rest of the world on the great global shift to electric vehicles.

The EVC was pleased to see a range of its recommendations embraced by the Committee including:

– The introduction of a hard national electric vehicle target;
– A national EV target for the Government fleet; and,
– The introduction of more stringent vehicle emissions standards

Behyad Jafari, chief executive of the EVC, said implementing the full range of recommendations would be an excellent start for Australia.

“The Australian Senate has helpfully slapped its big rubber stamp on the mountain of evidence in favour of a mass switch to electric vehicles,” Mr Jafari said.

“We should seize this momentum and push forward. With a federal election looming, both major parties have the opportunity to embrace these recommendations as part of their platform. A bold approach would greatly improve the lives of all Australians, especially in our major cities.

“The benefits of a mass switch to electric vehicles are broad and deep. Cost of living pressure would ease if we broke our dependence on the bowser. Carbon emissions would drop. And if the smoke and noise of combustion engines was phased out, our cities would become healthy and beautiful places to live.

“A switch to electric vehicles would also go a very long way toward ending our fuel security issues. We could break our dangerous dependence on imported oil.

“The benefits of electric vehicles are so obvious that all the Australian Government needs to do is show that it’s backing the switch. Once momentum swings in behind electric vehicles, the shift will come quickly and investment will flow.

“Australia is the world’s laggard when it comes to EVs. That’s primarily due to our outdated policy settings, especially around emission targets. We can change that today.

“A mass switch to electric vehicles is one of the most straightforward ways to improve Australian quality of life.

“I am looking forward to assisting the Australian Government with the most useful ways to proceed from here. A target of at least 50 per cent of all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2030 would be a solid place to start.

“The federal government could also provide short-term financial incentives through discounts to taxes levied on the sale of a new vehicles, and match funding to accelerate private sector investment in ultra-fast charging infrastructure.”