Australian ‘Future Fuels’ paper slammed

“Acutely disappointing” is the Electric Vehicle Council’s (EVC) view of the Morrison government’s newly released Future Fuels Strategy discussion paper which rules out EV subsidies but encourages Australian businesses to invest in plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and electric car fleets.

New Zealand is already moving to address EV uptake here, the Labour government intending to follow up on a Climate Change Commission draft advice paper, announcing emission reduction measures and saying a “feebate” and other incentives are under consideration.

Australian energy minister Angus Taylor’s aim is to focus on fleets, expected to see low emission vehicles enter the secondhand market at reduced cost, the federal government arguing that subsidies are not value for money in moves to drive down carbon emissions.

But the EVC describes the paper as “yet another flaccid, do-nothing document that will prevent Australians getting access to the world’s best electric vehicles”.

EVC chief executive Behyad Jafari points to other moves globally to encourage EV uptake.

The government’s paper claims incentives for EV sales don’t stack up, despite the rest of the world rapidly accelerating existing incentive programs, he explains.

Jafari says other nations, including the US and UK, have had fuel efficiency standards in place for years but Australia still hasn’t.

Australia’s inertia on EVs has been noticed by the global auto sector, which now withholds the best and most affordable EVs from our market and that trend will rapidly accelerate under Taylor’s do-nothing plan, Jafari adds.

The strategy argues subsidising cars for private sales will cost taxpayers A$195 to A$747 a tonne of CO2 equivalent, depending on the vehicle type and usage. The government says that figure does not present value-for-money when compared to the Emissions Reduction Fund price of A$16 per tonne of carbon emitted, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The paper includes improving information to motorists among five key priorities which also feature adequate EV charging and hydrogen refuelling stations.

Taylor indicates the future of Australian road transport will be a mix of vehicle technologies and fuels.

Feedback on the paper closes on April 2.