NSW ranks first in EV policy scorecard

NEW South Wales has placed first in the Electric Vehicle Council’s (EVC) policy scorecard ratings for 2021.

It is the first time the state has placed so highly in the annual rankings, which this year determined the Berejiklian Government’s Electric Vehicle Strategy as the best in the nation.

NSW placed ahead of the Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, Tasmania, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia, which ranked in that order.

The federal government scored lowest in the EVC’s ranking after “failing to make meaningful inroads in line with other comparable jurisdictions around the world,” the report said.

“When you consider the rhetoric that was being pushed at the last federal election, the EV discussion in the country has come a long way quite quickly,” said EVC chief executive Behyad Jafari.

“New South Wales has introduced Australia’s best electric vehicle policy to date. That $500M of investment and package of incentives to accelerate the uptake of zero-emissions vehicles is finally something comparable with jurisdictions overseas. I know the whole industry is buoyant about the effect it will have on electric vehicle availability and sales,” added Mr Jafari.

The ranking system factors in a range of attributions including up-front incentives, tax exemptions, and targeted incentives (for commercial and heavy vehicles).

It also considers the efficiency standards of electric vehicles, sales targets, and procurement targets of fleets including government fleet purchasing, as well as charging infrastructure deployment, related infrastructure (including electricity grid capacity) and associated targets.

The report found 8,688 electric vehicles were sold in the first half of 2021 – a figure that already eclipses annual EV sales from the previous year of 6,900.

Currently, Australia has 31 different EVs for sale with 14 of those available for less than $65,000. It is estimated there will be 58 electric vehicle models on sale here by the end of 2022.

“Australian electric vehicle sales are displaying resilience and growth despite a marked decrease in overall vehicle sales,” said the EVC report.

“In 2020, 6,900 electric vehicles were sold in Australia representing 0.78 per cent of all new light vehicle sales, up from 6,718 electric vehicles (0.65%) in 2019. The majority of these sales (76 per cent) were battery electric vehicles (BEVs), with plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) representing just under one quarter of sales.

“Meanwhile, overall light vehicle sales fell to 920,414 vehicles in 2020, down from 1,063,000 vehicles sold in 2019. So far in 2021, 8,688 electric vehicles have been sold in Australia, representing 1.57 per cent of the total light vehicle market.”

Australia’s EV charging network offers 3,000 public charge points nationally, 47 of which are high-capacity (50kW or more) DC chargers.

The EVC announced last month that a further 403 EV charge points would be added to the national grid over the next five years. Currently, the are 7.2 electric vehicles for every installed public charger.

Australia is significantly behind the rest of the world when it comes to EV adoption. Globally, electric vehicles account for 4.2 per cent of the light vehicle sales mix, up from 2.5 per cent in 2019. Overall, electric vehicles make up only 0.12 per cent of Australia’s light vehicle fleet.

Norway leads the world for EV uptake with electric vehicles now comprising 74 per cent of its light vehicle fleet. In the UK that number is 10.7 per cent, 6.2 per cent in China, and 2.3 per cent in the United States.

Locally, there are 31 passenger electric vehicle models available from 12 different manufacturers. It is expected there will be 27 additional EV models available in Australia by the end of 2022.

Several manufacturers have already committed to the electrification of their portfolios, with some already setting timelines to become 100 per cent electric.

Jaguar has said its range will be all-electric by as early as 2025. Volvo, Ford Europe, and Mazda pledged to follow (by 2030) with Nissan (early 2030s), General Motors (2035), Daimler (2039), and Honda (2040) agreeing to follow.

Other manufacturers have publicly committed electric vehicle targets, with Audi promising it will offer 30 electric models by 2025. Hyundai will have 23 electric models, Groupe Renault 24, and General Motors 30. The Volkswagen Group will have 70 new electric models by 2028.

“The movement across most states and territories is now generally positive and that’s providing greater confidence to private sector investors, which will pave the way for more places to charge and better support services to support e-mobility,” added Mr Jafari.

“We need to see more electric vehicle models in Australia, particularly at lower price points. That’s happening slowly, but if we want to accelerate the process and attract the globally limited electric vehicle supply, we need policies enacted at the national level, like fuel efficiency standards.

“Australia has more to gain than most countries from electric vehicles. If (we) transition well, we’ll be able to meet our net zero goals, break our dependence on foreign oil, and improve our air quality.”