Australia worst-equipped nation for EVs

Australia is the worst-equipped country for electric vehicles, a new report says.

And the nation is nearly a decade behind the rest of the world on EV uptake and infrastructure.

British financial services comparison firm GoCompare has released a study which shows Australia is the worst-equipped country for EVs.

Of the International Energy Agency’s 30-member nations, Australia has the highest ratio of cars per charging points at 15.42 and one of the lowest total number of public charging stations, with just 476 nationwide, news.com.au

reports.

“Australia has been one of the slowest countries to adapt to electric cars,” the report says.

Electric Vehicle Council Australia chief executive officer Behyad Jafari isn’t surprised and says Australia is almost a decade behind the rest of the world.

“While everybody else has access to a broad range of charging infrastructure, different priced models of electric vehicles and a lot of investment supporting the industry, Australia isn’t getting any of those benefits,” he says.

He believes embracing EVs could lead to improved public health, better energy security and increased economic activity.

“Government policy is failing to support the transition away from petrol towards electric.”

Jafari says incentives such as removing taxes from EVs for a few years may help.

“Around the rest of the world, governments have recognised the benefits of electric vehicles and taken action to support the change.”

EVs account for about 20% of new vehicle sales annually on a global average.

“In Australia, it’s just 0.2%,” Jafari says.

Labor’s digital economy shadow minister Ed Husic says Australia is “woefully unprepared” for the EV revolution.

“There is an urgent need for Australia to have an internationally consistent policy road map to integrate these technologies,” he says.

A Roy Morgan survey of more than 37,000 motorists found half would seriously consider buying a hybrid or fully electric vehicle.

More than three million EVs are on the road globally, but that’s expected to treble in the next five years.

Lobby group NRMA says the transition to EVs is inevitable, but there’s work to do, particularly in co-ordinating efforts across government and industry.

University of New South Wales research suggests the major factor affecting a consumer’s choice to switch to electric is the public charging network’s state.

“This was far more important than the availability of cheaper vehicles, the second most cited barrier to uptake,” report co-author professor Graciela Matternicht says.

Another barrier to buying is charging at home, with a rising number of people who have only street parking. Charging network Everty is trying to change that with a booking service that provides EV owners with better charging access through others’ parking and charging spaces.

Environment and energy minister Josh Frydenberg says the Government is supportive of the EV industry and has taken steps to lower barriers.