Whether Australia is ready for it or not, EVs will be the only mainstream form of passenger road transport over the coming decade for the following reasons.
Key points
Car manufacturers also starting to investing heavily in EVs and the phasing out of fossil fuel cars ( the internal combustion engine cars)
Several countries have declared the phasing out of new fossil fuel cars
Biden Administration announced an executive order to achieve 50% EV market share by 2030.
Norway’s 2021 YTD EV sales total 95% of all passenger car sales.
This year Australia has seen the biggest increasing number of new electric models on offer.
The Australian government hasn’t embraced EV evolution.
EVs need to be part of the plan to tackle global greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution goals.
Several countries have announced the phasing out of fossil fuel new car sales over recent years. Norway is one of these countries which will phase out the sales of new fossil fueled passenger vehicles by 2025. But through proactive government policies, planning, and incentives, their goal may occur sooner, given the 2021 YTD ( Jan - Aug ) car sales of EVs have already reached an impressive 95%. So considering this EV sales trend which started back in 2017, it’s predicted Norway will reach its 100% EV only sales target by as early April 2022. Even in the land of the gas guzzling vehicle, the Biden Administration announced an executive order to achieve 50% EV market share by 2030.
The writing is on the wall, car manufacturers are producing more EVs and for those that are not, well they’ll get left behind. Several car manufacturers, such as Volkswagen, GM, and, of course, Tesla, have already started building and investing in battery and electric car factories to keep up with these government mandates. With this, we’ve seen other mainstream car manufacturers also starting to investing heavily in EVs. One would have to say, it’s been Tesla's success that has court them off guard and has pushed many car manufacturers to accelerate their electric car plans. So given most automakers will stop producing fossil fueled vehicles over the next decade, Australia will have no choice but adapt and embrace EVs.
Whilst until this year in Australia the EV selection has been limited, 2021 has seen the biggest increasing number of new electric models on offer coming from Hyundai, Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Audi, Kia, Nissan & Volvo, with lower prices, competing in several segments, and providing a longer driving range than ever before.
Nevertheless, it's widely believed that most traditional automakers would not have accelerated their electric car plans without the added pressure of various governments imposing fossil fuel car bans. In saying that, our government hasn’t embraced EV evolution for whatever reason, but their lack of vision, won’t stop this transformation from occurring.
Australia doesn't need to reinvent the wheel, all that is required is to follow other successful countries in this transition and adopt a national approach to ensure Australia’s changeover to EVs, is seamless and coordinated throughout the country.
Above: A look at how automakers and many other governments around the globe are pushing for electric cars (YouTube: news.com.au)
If we are serious about decreasing emissions and pollution, EVs need to be part of the plan. The transition to electric vehicles will tackle greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution goals in the future (and today). Don’t forget, the transportation sector alone is accountable for around 20% of emissions in Australia.
One thing is for sure: it's just a matter of time for electric cars to take over.
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