EV demand remains low among Australian car buyers
1 March 2021 12:01 pm / 7 comments
Despite electric vehicle sales being on the rise in several markets, Australian customers aren’t as receptive, according to a report by
Nikkei Asia. Data from the country’s Electric Vehicle Council indicated that just 7,000 EVs were sold in 2020, which is an increase of under 4% from 2019.
In Australia, EVs account for just 0.7% of the one million cars sold there annually – compared to 4.2% globally – making it one of the slowest adopters of zero-emissions technology. This is despite the country being one of the leading suppliers of materials used to produce batteries in EVs.
Walking around the old Holden factory site in Elizabeth, Paschal Somers points out each piece of machinery to explain what it does and how it could be brought back to life. Though the massive factory complex in suburban Adelaide closed down three years ago, General Motors abandoned most of the machines to the site’s new owners when they sold the land, and they are still sitting there idle. Rows of mechanical arms hanging from the ceiling were.
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Around the world, electric vehicles are gaining attraction, interest and sales. Billions of dollars are being poured into this technology and into electric self-driving cars, but not without some serious accidents.
So where is Australia at in this fledgling market, and what does the future hold?
We have industry members to test some claims and to tell us what questions we should ask if want to buy an electric car.
Quick, look over your shoulder.
That flicker of movement on the Australian horizon is the electric vehicle revolution poking its head up with the dawning sun.
The latest electric car charging centre at Gympie which opened this week.
Credit:Energy Queensland.
In Australia, electric vehicle sales quietly tripled in 2019 â although the numbers are still small, according to the Electric Vehicle Council.
That year, sales tripled from 2216 to 6718 and a further 3226 electric cars were sold in the first six months of 2020, despite new car sales slumping 20 per cent because of COVID-19.
In Queensland, 450 full electric vehicles were sold in 2019 and about 180 in the first few months of 2020 before COVID-19.