Australia’s electric vehicle industry is growing on the back of global trends, media interest and consumer awareness. But it still lags behind the rest of the world.
Electric vehicle momentum is growing. While Australia still trails behind global leaders, we have seen small but important shifts. In 2017 we saw market growth, technology developments and policy ambition.
The state of electric vehicles in Australia report provides an up-to-date assessment of the state of Australia’s electric vehicle industry. It was written by Climateworks Australia on behalf of the Electric Vehicle Council. The second edition tracks Australia’s progress towards a lower emissions, more cost effective light vehicle fleet.
This report follows and builds on the structure of the previous report. It covers four main sections and provides updated data for 2017 on:
- Electric vehicle uptake in Australia
- Charging infrastructure
- Consumer attitudes
- Electric vehicle policy in Australia
The report found that there were 2,284 electric vehicles sold in Australia in 2017, a 67 per cent increase from the previous year. The number of electric vehicle models available for sale in Australia also increased by 44 per cent. The number of charging stations in Australia saw a 64 per cent increase from 2017 to 2018.
“Business continues to be the largest buyer of electric vehicles, accounting for 63 per cent of sales in 2017, with this figure primarily including manufacturer fleets and dealer demonstrators.”
Behyad Jafari, CEO, Electric Vehicle Council
The report highlights several opportunities to improve uptake. This includes regulatory, financial and non-financial policies and incentives and the introduction of light vehicle CO2 emissions standards. It notes government at all levels could use their greater purchasing power to encourage broader uptake.