This senate report has 17 recommendations to fast charge Australia’s EV uptake
Tech
The government has dropped the ball on electric vehicles but Australia can still catch up, says the country’s first report into the sector.
The Senate Select Committee on Electric Vehicles has made 17 recommendations that could light a rocket under Australia’s lagging EV uptake – but first the federal and state governments must pull their collective fingers out.
The first recommendation is basic: prioritise the development of a national EV strategy and an inter-governmental taskforce to lead its implementation.
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These are the factors slowing EV take-up in Australia
The people and companies who responded to the committee’s call for submissions related worries about higher upfront costs, driving range, lack of charging infrastructure, and limited model availability.
These are the key factors hindering consumer uptake in Australia, the committee heard, and without appropriate regulatory settings Australia’s near-term EV uptake “is likely to be modest”.
“Slow uptake will continue to result in EV manufacturers not prioritising the Australian market and fewer EV models being available to Australian motorists,” according to the report.
“It will also delay the realisation of substantial economic, environmental and health benefits, and risk seeing opportunities for economic development pass by.”
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Widespread use of EVs in Australia would deliver significant economic, environmental and health benefits to Australian consumers and society, according to the report.
It would also create new opportunities for Australian industry.
The committee heard evidence that traditional auto businesses were already “pursuing opportunities” in EV component manufacturing and assembly.
New industries, such as charging infrastructure manufacturing and installation, battery manufacturing, recycling, repurposing and related mining and processing activities, and EV research and development were also emerging as growth sectors for the Australian economy.
And while there will be challenges associated with increasing EV uptake, they can be managed with “well calibrated regulatory settings”.
Some of the other recommendations include: