What do politicians plan for electric vehicles?

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has officially announced the federal election will be held on May 18 to decide who runs the country for the next three years.

And for the first time ever, electric vehicles (EVs) in Australia have become an issue for debate, as the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal Party and the Greens take note of the growing concern from voters that climate change has been on the back burner too long.

The ALP's EV strategy to reduce CO2 emissions from our transport sector is the most detailed platform issued by a political party in the lead-up to the election.

Broadly speaking, the ALP observes that transport contributes almost 20 per cent of CO2 emissions in Australia, and that figure is growing.

Commercial up-take of electric vehicles or fuel-efficient vehicles in the Australian market is just one tenth of the global average.

The ALP has set a target for new-car sales of 50 per cent EVs by 2030. This will improve the affordability of EVs and grow jobs within the industry.

Government fleets will be subject to a target of 50 per cent EVs for motor vehicles purchased or leased from 2025. This will grow demand in the used-car market for EVs. Commonwealth office buildings will have vehicle-recharging infrastructure installed.

The private sector will be encouraged to purchase EVs for company fleets through an upfront tax deduction of 20 per cent (for depreciation) for EVs costing more than $20,000, an initiative that builds on the government's instant asset tax write-off.

An electric vehicle agenda will be submitted to COAG (Commonwealth of Australia Governments) to coordinate EV sales and infrastructure planning involving the federal government and the governments of state and territories. A prerequisite for federally-funded major road projects will be EV-charging infrastructure along the route. New or refurbished commercial or residential building developments will be required to provide necessary recharging facilities as part of a national standard for EV recharging infrastructure.

A Labor government will work with the automotive industry to formulate and introduce vehicle emissions standards to reduce pollution and lower running costs for motorists. Labor claims that vehicle owners are each projected to pay "as much as $500" more for their annual fuel bill without this standard in place. In accordance with a recommendation by the Climate Change Authority, the CO2 emissions limit for light vehicles will be 105g/km, which will align Australia with the USA, but not Europe, which is imposing a tougher standard again.

As a footnote, Labor says it will also develop a 'bioenergy strategy' for cleaner fuels in internal-combustion cars, complementing the party's 'hydrogen plan'. Labor also foresees EV assembly in Australia will "create new job opportunities with transition."

Full details can be downloaded from the ALP's web page.

The Morrison government is setting aside $400,000 from the federal budget for "developing a National Electric Vehicle Strategy".

In a speech delivered on February 26 – well ahead of the budget being handed down – Prime Minister Morrison revealed that the strategy was intended to "ensure the transition to new vehicle technology and infrastructure is carefully planned and managed".

A cornerstone of the strategy is "mandating an electric vehicle plug type to improve the consistency and interoperability of public charging".

In his speech, the prime minister forecast "around 10 million tonnes of abatement" from implementing the strategy, which will draw on work already undertaken by the COAG Transport and Infrastructure Council, and ARENA (Australian Renewable Energy Agency) and CEFC (Clean Energy Finance Corporation).

In a press release dating back to October 2018, Minister for Energy Angus Taylor announced a rapid charging network comprising 21 vehicle recharging stations on major routes between mainland capitals and around Perth. Chargefox received $6 million from the government for the "ultra-rapid" charging stations, each of which can recharge a car to a range of up to 400km within 15 minutes.

In an opinion piece by Taylor's predecessor in the role, Josh Frydenberg, a figure of 230,000 EVs on Australian roads was predicted for 2025, that number rising to in excess of one million by 2030.

Frydenberg, now the federal treasurer, cited current EV running costs that were "about a third" of a petrol car's fuel costs over a 300km trip. Future capacity to recharge electric vehicles would be met by the national power grid and could be 'relatively easily managed', according to the government's Finkel Review.

Although the government has not announced what will be contained within its National Electric Vehicle Strategy, many of the remarks in Frydenberg's story for the Nine newspapers (the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age) are expected to be talking points.

A manifesto from the Greens has announced the party's plans to "fast-track the roll-out of fast-charging electric vehicle infrastructure" and to "legislate tougher vehicle pollution standards".

This will be achieved, according to the party, through a mandate that "a set percentage" of new-car sales will comprise electric vehicles. It's an idea similar to legislation enacted in California.

Benefits from this strategy, the party claims, will be cheaper EVs, easier and more convenient vehicle recharging, cleaner cities and addressing climate change.