Last month, Volkswagen Australia chief Michael Bartsch revealed Australia’s clean technology laws were so weak, his German head office would not supply Australians with the company’s top selling mid-range electric vehicles.
Without a clear policy to signal the market for electric vehicles would grow, Bartsch said, Volkswagen would instead supply popular models, such as the ID.3 hatchback and the ID.4 SUV, to more welcoming markets such as North America and Europe.
Undoubtedly, the Morrison government remains in the slow lane on electric vehicle policy. Its Future Fuels Strategy discussion paper rules out subsidies for electric vehicles, and the government has failed to implement fuel efficiency standards to encourage the transition away from traditional cars.