Australia is lagging behind in the race to transition to electric vehicles but could be gaining a second gear with new investment and laws to encourage the uptake.
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According to the Electric Vehicle Council, the country was well behind other OECD members with EV uptake despite sales up by 65 per cent among Australian consumers in 2022.
EVs made up 3.39 per cent of total car sales in Australia last year but were dwarfed by American and European market figures with Germany recording 26 per cent and the UK at 19 per cent in overall sales.
The US state of California alone had EVs account for 13 per cent of its total car sales in 2022.
'Our governments have lagged the world'
Electric Vehicle Council policy head Jake Whitehead said the country urgently needed a national EV policy to give Australians access to more affordable electric cars.
"Our governments have lagged the world on EV policy," he said.
"Australia is still something of an afterthought for global EV manufacturers.
"We know from all the research that Australians are keen to get behind the wheel of an EV but they just aren't getting the access that other markets get."
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Fuel efficiency standards key to uptake strategy
Mr Whitehead said it was also crucial federal government strategy included fuel efficiency standards that would set legal requirements for manufacturers to reduce the emissions from the cars they sell in Australia.
"If Australia does not introduce fuel efficiency standards on par with the EU and the US we will continue to lag the world by a huge margin," he said.
"Given transport makes up 19 per cent of Australia's emissions we also can't say we're serious about achieving our 2030 emission reduction target without fuel efficiency standards.
"The good news is the new federal government understands the opportunities of EVs and is working on a genuine EV strategy."
New law and investment turning the tide
The federal government passed its Electric Car Discount Bill in November 2022 with support from the Greens and independent senator David Pocock giving a tax break of up to $12,500 for electric vehicle purchases.
Mr Pocock said he would be pushing the government to incorporate fuel efficiency standards in further EV policy.
The Australian EV market has also opened up to more manufacturers outside traditional brands like Tesla, Kia and Volvo with Chinese brands, including BYD and MG, expected to release 12 new electric car models in 2023.
According to the Electric Vehicle Council, at least two of the Chinese models could cost Australians less than $40,000 which they hoped would drive down prices of other EVs.
The industry forecasts EV sales to increase by about 100,000 in 2023, 150,000 in 2024, and make up more than 35 per cent of Australian car sales by 2030.
