Australia’s first National Electric Vehicle Strategy is taking shape, with the Federal Government releasing a consultation paper this week that is focused on helping to electrify road transport and boost the affordability, supply and uptake of EVs.
The strategy is intended to address the fact that transport constitutes Australia’s second largest source of emissions.
New passenger vehicles here have around 20% higher emissions than the US, and around 40% higher emissions than Europe. Further, only 2% of new vehicle sales in Australia are currently EVs and our uptake of new low-emissions vehicles is nearly five times lower than the global average.
The consultation paper also seeks views on areas such as increasing charging infrastructure, saving Australians money on fuel and increasing local manufacturing. It seeks to address key questions such as the timeframe over which low emission vehicles should be incentivised, new workforce skills needed and unique regional challenges for EV uptake.
It also flags the need for a nationally consistent approach to road user charges for EVs, as revenue from fuel taxes falls as motorists make the switch to EVs. This revenue is critical to support the ongoing construction and maintenance of road infrastructure nationally.
The consultation period is open until 31 October, and RA will be making a submission. If you have views to share, please feel free to get in touch via email to policy@roads.org.au