Why Australia’s EV options are so limited

The third instalment of the carsales’ Watts Under the Bonnet: The Electric Vehicle Podcast is out, celebrating World EV Day (September 9) and discussing how much Australia’s attitude to electric cars has changed and what impending government changes could mean for consumers.

Speaking with Behyad Jafari, CEO of the Electric Vehicle Council, hosts Rusty and Nadine discuss what outcomes are expected to come out of the federal government’s EV Summit in Canberra back in August.

“The federal policy outcome from that summit was a government stepping up to say that we're opening the doors on a national electric vehicle policy," he said.

Asked what the best avenue was to increase the uptake of EVs, Jafari said: "A federal fuel-efficiency standard and one that actually encourages manufacturers to bring the electric vehicles they have around the rest of the world and make them available to Australian consumers.”

With so much interest, why are car-makers still dragging their feet on more variety of products and, importantly, cheaper options for Australian consumers? Jafari says it all comes down to our place in the world according to auto brands and the cost/benefit ratio for them to invest in markets without tighter automotive emissions and efficiency standards.

“Car-makers tell us very frankly and they speak out very openly about the strength of standards in other countries -- these things cover anything from fuel-efficiency standards, CO2 standards, CAFE standards -- and Australia doesn't [have them], so it's a bit strange for them and they tell us that the strength of those standards make up anywhere between 80 to 100 per cent of their decision of which countries to send a mass amount of electric vehicles and fuel-efficient vehicles to in the first place,” says Jafari.

“This standard is about putting ourselves on an even playing field because in other countries... cheaper electric vehicles exist. It's just taking that uncertainty away from the manufacturers... and saying yes you actually have to make these great new technologies available to Australians.”

“What we've got is a situation right now saying that regulations in places like Europe and the USA is sort of like a 10 and you're (Australia) a zero. Therefore, we're sending vehicles to those other markets, not making them available to Australians.

"If we develop regulations that make us a three and they're still a 10, well guess what happens? We're still going to keep missing out because the incentives are going to be to send the vehicles elsewhere."

The episode also took a deep dive into the winner of carsales' Best EV for 2022 with carsales Managing Editor, Marton Pettendy.

You can listen to the full episode here or on the free LiSTNR app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or where ever you get your podcasts.

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