While Australians have been relatively slow to take advantage of the use of electricity to power their motor vehicles, it has been estimated that by the year 2040 electric vehicles (EVs) will account for between 70% and 100% of sales of new vehicles in the country and that 30% of all cars on the road at that time will be powered by electricity. Since 2011, according to EV industry bodies, about 10,000 EVs have been sold and are in use in Australia.
According to researchers and scientists, changing Australia’s vehicle fleet from using internal combustion engines to electric car technology will result in significant fuel and maintenance cost savings as well as providing significant environmental benefits such as reducing smog in cities.
For Australians to move to EVs in a significant way, however, there needs to be a network of EV charging stations Australia to support them. Australia is a large country and involves driving significant distances between towns and other population centres. The lack of access to charging stations is the reason more than 60% of motorists cite as the main barrier to their adoption of EVs.
As well as the lack of EV charging stations Australia, the other key barriers to uptake of EVs are the relatively high prices of EVs, their availability in various models and the distance that they can travel after a single charge.
Although the private sector has driven an increase in the number of charging stations available in Australia, as of 2018 it has been estimated that there are less than 2,000 public charging stations – and of these only around 250 of these are fast charging. The Australian government has stated that it will make it a priority to establish a network of fast-charging stations in close proximity to the national highway network and that this will help to overcome the EV charging barrier and reduce consumers’ concerns about the distance that EV vehicles can travel.
In addition, it is likely that technological advances will increase the distance that EVs can travel on a single charge, that EV prices will decline as production increases and that the cost of the electric batteries used in these types of cars will also decline.
The Australian government will also seek to implement national policies and regulations to help speed up the roll-out of fast-charging EV stations. This will include subsidising the developing a network of fast-charging stations and developing policies to support EV charging technology adoption.