The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) has backed the recommendations put forward by the Senate Select Committee Inquiry into Electric Vehicles and hope they will generate momentum for the take up of EV technology in Australia.
Tony Weber, CEO of the FCAI, said: “The international automotive industry has a strong focus on low emission and electric vehicles. Most brands have models either in concept form, in planning, or in production – and we even have several of these innovative vehicles on sale here in Australia right now.”
This is a positive step for Australia, however, Mr Weber suggested that not enough Australians are aware of EV technology and a lack of government support and policy could translate into slow sales of EVs initially.
“The recommendations made by the Senate Select Committee will provide a much-needed boost to ensure EVs increase on Australian roads, and our country keeps up with the rest of the world in terms of environmentally innovative mobility,” Mr Weber stated.
The report is extensive but includes recommendations in regards to national electric vehicle sales targets and tighter emissions standards both of which are expected to promote battery-powered vehicles as a preference for Australians.
There were also recommendations relating to government fleet targets on EVs and an education campaign to build public trusts as well as a push to bring Formula E racing to Australian shores.
A key finding of the report was that “The Australian Government should prioritise the development of a national EV strategy and an inter-governmental taskforce to lead its implementation.” This could be facilitated through mitigation of tax and duty costs for EVs, developing public charging infrastructure and setting strong targets for growth of EVs in Australia.
Mr Weber urged policymakers to adopt a holistic approach to implementing changes stating that: “Measures to support accelerated take-up of zero-emissions vehicles should be part of a broader vehicle emissions package. This will help reduce emissions across Australia’s new vehicle fleet and stimulate the transition towards lower emissions technologies such as battery electric and hydrogen electric fuel cell vehicles.”
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