Overseas EV Targets a Rocky Road

Australia should be wary of technology bans, as EV uptake in Britain stutters amidst slowing consumer uptake.

“We need to bring all Australians ‘along for the ride’ in the decarbonisation of the nation’s vehicles,” said MTA SA/NT CEO Darrell Jacobs.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has raised a few eyebrows around the globe by adjusting the previously announced ban on selling new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. This has now been delayed to 2035 in line with other European powerhouses, such as France, Germany and Sweden.

As the UK struggles to achieve mass adoption of EVs, the British PM told media: “…at least for now, it should be you the consumer that makes that choice, not the government forcing you to do it.

“Because the upfront cost is still high – especially for families struggling with the cost of living –small businesses are worried about the practicalities, and we’ve got further to go to get the charging infrastructure truly nationwide.”

“We’re aligning our approach with countries like Germany, France,

Spain, Italy, Australia, Canada, Sweden, and [some] US states… and still ahead of the rest of America and other countries like New Zealand.”

Don’t penalise

Britain’s car industry has urged its government to provide tax breaks or other incentives to encourage people to buy electric vehicles, with concerns that consumer sentiment is on the wane.

After growing EV sales to 20 per cent of all new car sales, what seemed like unstoppable and exponential growth has slowed considerably. It is understood that Australian politicians are closely watching the overseas experience.

“The European market is uniquely different to Australia’s and our focus should be on reducing emissions through technology agnostic principles,” said Mr Jacobs.

“Care needs to be taken to not unfairly penalise drivers for a lack of electric vehicle availability or affordability.”

He said the Federal Government should avoid outright bans on specific automotive technologies, especially amidst extraordinary innovation in hybrid technology and the development of biofuels.

“If a 2035 ban was introduced in Australia, the trade-in value of existing petrol and diesel models could plummet and make it difficult for motorists to upgrade to an electric vehicle,” he said.

“This is why we need a national strategy that incentivises EVs and equally ensures we reduce our emissions without punishing motorists.

“For example, we know that even if Australia could achieve greater than 50 per cent of new car sales in 2030 being electric, there would still be 17 million internal combustion engine vehicles out of the 20 million cars on our roads.

“Australia also requires a comprehensive and fit-for-purpose rapid charging network and a reliable national energy grid to meet this future demand.

“Government funding support will be required to equip the existing automotive workforce, enabling them to understand how to safely sell, service and repair EVs.”