Consumers and car manufacturers worldwide are phasing out petrol vehicles at pace. Where do Australians stand in this global shift?
Australians are excited to get behind the EV wheel
Giles Parkinson, founder and editor - RenewEconomy and The Driven
I commonly hear that people have a petrol or diesel car and the next one they want to buy is electric. But they want one that suits them in price, utility and shape. The demand for electric is there - a lot of people want to switch.
There’s a lot to learn and a lot of misunderstandings about electric vehicles (EVs). Australia has trailed other countries in establishing charging infrastructure, but people are getting over that. Most people understand now that they can charge at home and that's where up to 90% of charging is usually done. They are more comfortable with EVs. They see them around.
The fascinating thing about these new vehicles arriving on the market now is that they are so powerful. They’ve got big batteries; many can comfortably drive 450-500km. And they’ve got new features such as vehicle to load, so you can basically power any appliance that you want to take with you. People are starting to see these cars as more than just transport. They think about their car as a really interesting and useful asset.
If we can get all our ducks in a row, it will be quite a rapid transformation. Once the price of EVs comes down a bit further, as we get more supply and the cost of batteries comes down, it’s going to be a no-brainer for people to buy EVs. They are much more fun to drive, they’re cleaner, quieter and less expensive to run. And the other big factor, of course, is that most of the major car makers have vowed to stop making petrol and diesel cars.
Once you start driving an EV, I don’t think there’s any going back. The interest is there. It’s just huge. It’s all grown beyond our own expectations.