The Minister for Climate Change, Chris Bowen, welcomed a surge in sales of electric vehicleswhich revealed that the number of fast-loading websites has almost doubled in the past year.
National strategies on electric vehicles are expected to more than double the number of charging stations again within three years, as the federal government seeks to encourage the use of cleaner cars. New fuel efficiency standards, expected to be outlined in early 2024, are likely to further discourage the sale of higher-emissions vehicles and make electric cars more attractive.
Bowen, who also serves as energy minister, on Saturday touted new figures showing that public EV charging stations increased from 464 to about 800 between December 2022 and December 2023 – a jump of more than 70%.
Bowen said it was a record year for the installation of the fast chargers, claiming more were installed in the 18 months of Labor government than in the entirety of the former Coalition government.
Bowen also pointed to 173,000 electric vehicles on Australian roads, saying two-thirds of those had come since Labor came to power.
“There has been a 70% increase in EV charging points this year alone – helping to address the needs of Aussie drivers in regional and suburban communities and reducing waiting times for tens of thousands of new EV drivers,” he said. said.
The National EV Strategy, with investment from federal and state governments, plans for a further 1,000 charging points within the next three years. It also aims to install chargers every 150 kilometers along the national highway network.
The federal government has attempted to increase the uptake of electric vehicles through tax incentives and rebates. The fuel efficiency standards, which are expected to be outlined by Transport Minister Catherine King within months, will create a cap on emissions across a manufacturer’s overall sales and encourage carmakers to produce vehicles with low and zero emissions.
Industry groups such as the Electric Vehicle Council have warned that Australia could become “the world’s dumping ground for aging, high-emissions vehicles” without stricter fuel standards.
In August, the government revealed that the introduction of a fuel efficiency standard was “overwhelmingly” supported throughout public consultation.
In this month’s mid-year economic update, the government adjusted the tax on luxury cars by tightening the definition of a fuel efficient vehicle, which reduces the maximum fuel consumption from 7 liters for every 100 km, to 3.5 liters for every 100 km. The measure in the Myefo documents said the change was aimed at encouraging greater use of more fuel-efficient vehicles.
The government believes current standards encourage car manufacturers to sell less fuel-efficient cars – which would struggle to sell in some other countries with stricter standards – in Australia, thus discouraging manufacturers from selling cheaper electric vehicles in Australia.
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At a press conference on fuel standards on Friday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said King would respond to the issue soon.
“Our petrol standards are far below anywhere else in the Western world. When you have gasoline standards that are lower, you have problems that are created – health issues – as a result,” he said.
“We’re not only below Europe, but below the United States, and that means Australia has had to respond.”
Currently, the government uses tax incentives to encourage the purchase of electric vehicles, with discounts that make renting an EV cheaper than renting a gasoline vehicle in some circumstances.
EVs accounted for 2% of new car sales in May 2022, but 8.3% of new sales in 2023.
Bowen said the government was focused on “improving access for Australians to drive cleaner, cheaper cars”.
“More and more households and businesses are saving thousands of dollars on the upfront and running costs of their vehicles – with our EV discount making leasing EVs and plug-in hybrids cheaper than leasing petrol vehicles in many circumstances,” he said.
