The Electric Vehicle Council of Australia welcomes the ACT’s continued leadership on delivering policy to support the transition to electric vehicles.
The Zero Emissions Vehicle Action Plan launched in Canberra today by Minister Rattenbury and Minister Fitzharris will support Australia’s emerging EV industry, provide greater access to electric vehicles for ACT residents, and set the groundwork for greater adoption into the future.
Electric Vehicle Council CEO, Behyad Jafari, says the ACT has built on their existing policy, and are leading by example.
“The ACT is already leading the Australian market in terms of per capita uptake rates of electric vehicles and deployment of charging infrastructure. This is driven by their existing stamp duty exemption and registration discounts for zero emission vehicles. The Action Plan released today will see the ACT cement their position as policy leaders on electric vehicles in Australia.
“The uptake of electric vehicles in the ACT is not only required to deliver on the territory’s emission reduction targets, but it will also reduce the cost of transportation for residents. The uptake of electric vehicles also presents great opportunities for the development of new businesses and jobs in Australia.
“The ACT is now at the forefront of supportive policy environments for the electric vehicle industry in Australia.
“Our recent ‘Recharging the Economy’ report assessed the benefits of Australia achieving uptake rates of electric vehicles in line with those seen in Norway, a leading market. It showed that electric vehicle uptake at these rates in Australia can provide an economic benefit of $2.9 billion by 2030, and increase net employment by 13,400 jobs. We also found that drivers would be saving $1,700 a year because of the lower costs to run an EV in comparison to an internal combustion engine.
“We welcome the commitment of 100% of the government’s own new passenger vehicle fleet being zero emission vehicles by 2020/21 where fit for purpose. This will send a strong signal to the electric vehicle industry to bring more models to market, and provide flow on benefits to consumers.
“Consumers will benefit as well, with the Action Plan providing electric vehicles with access to transit lanes which will shorten commute times. This is on top of the existing stamp duty and registration benefits available in the ACT, which can save drivers over $2,000 for a new $60,000 vehicle.
“The Action Plan also rightly targets electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Our surveys of consumer attitudes show that availability of charging infrastructure is a major barrier to uptake. Proposed actions include mandating installation of charging infrastructure in all new multi-unit and mixed-use developments and facilitating inter-regional charging installations.
“The ACT’s continued leadership on this issue is welcome by the electric vehicle industry, and sets the benchmark for other governments to measure themselves against.”
