According to Australia’s automotive association, sales of electric cars (EVs) reached a record high in 2023; yet, sales of light vehicles continued to be primarily driven by trucks and SUVs with high emissions.

According to figures released on Thursday by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), battery-electric vehicles accounted for 7.2% of all vehicles sold in 2022—more than twice as many as 3.1% in 2022.

When hybrids and plug-in hybrids are taken into account, the sales share for 2023 increases to 16.2% of all new vehicle sales, or nearly one in every five cars.

The current center-left Labour government, which came to power in 2022, has introduced a national EV policy and allocated hundreds of millions for clean transport, following ten years of conservative governments that opposed the use of EVs.

One of Australia’s main sources of emissions is transport, and the government’s commitment to reducing emissions by 43% by 2030 is strengthened by the increasing use of electric vehicles.

Nonetheless, SUVs and light commercial vehicles—models that often have higher emissions when powered by fossil fuels—remain popular among Australians. In the previous year, 78.4% of all new car purchases fell into these two groups.

Ten percent of all vehicles sold in 2023 will be Ford Ranger and Toyota Hi-Lux, which are the two most popular models and have a tendency to release more carbon dioxide than normal.

Long-standing obstacles to expanding the use of electric vehicles include scarcity, a small selection of models, and infrequent and occasionally defective charging infrastructure.

As a result, adoption for many years trailed behind nations such as the US and the UK, where the International Energy Agency reports that sales of EVs and plug-in hybrids reached 7.7% and 23%, respectively, in 2022.

The government will soon unveil the specifics of its long-awaited fuel efficiency criteria, according to Energy Minister Chris Bowen, who stated in November. Supporters of the programme believe it will encourage manufacturers to ship more electric vehicles (EVs) to Australia, thus increasing uptake.

(Adapted from WionNews.com)

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