Businesses push for one million EVs on Aussie roads by 2027

To reach the one million EV target, Australia will need to average 200,000 new BEV purchases over the next five years.

Over 100 businesses and organisations have joined forces to get one million EVs onto Australian roads by 2027.

The companies include retail giants such as The Woolworths Group, infrastructure company Transurban, carmakers Tesla, BMW, Volvo, MG Motor, JLR, LDV, BYD, Polestar and others.

JUMP AHEAD

• How far to 1 million EVs?
• Who's involved?
• The full list of participants

Above all else, the new alliance – headed up by the EV Council – is calling for a fuel efficiency standard to be put in place by the Australian Government.

Further goals for a federal EV strategy include a coordinated charging infrastructure push, local manufacturing, more electric buses and commercial vehicles, economic modelling that reflects the benefits of EVs and, finally, get one million BEVs on Australia’s roads.

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“After years of inaction from Canberra, Australian EV policy is now ready to accelerate and business wants to ensure we don’t miss the moment

“This new federal government is off to a strong start and a National EV Strategy announced in the first months of its tenure is an excellent development. But after a long period of policy stagnation we now need a strategy that contains robust measures”, said Electric Vehicle Council chief executive, Behyad Jafari.

How far does Australia have to go to hit a million EVs?

To reach the one million EV target, Australia will need to average 200,000 new BEV purchases over the next five years.

That’s a pretty lofty goal considering in 2021 we only bought 5149 electric passenger cars, SUVs and light commercial vehicles, though that’s according to VFACTS which did not include Tesla sales until April 2022.

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With Tesla’s ongoing success that is now reported in monthly sales tallies, EV market share has grown significantly, with 21,771 BEVs sold between January and September this year.

To reach the alliance's goal of a million EVs on the road this number will need to grow again, nearly 10-fold. But with year-on-year growth like that, it is possible.

The EV market is also set to expand further next year as Volkswagen (which isn’t part of this alliance) finally introduces its first EVs in Australia, starting with the Cupra Born and then ID4, followed by Toyota and Subaru’s first BEVs.

“We know Australians want the transition to electric vehicles to speed up. Our most recent data shows a 65 per cent leap in EV sales over the past year. But that still leaves Australia with a lot of opportunity to fill, by catching up to the rest of the world.

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“The absence of a fuel efficiency standard is largely to blame as manufacturers overlook our nation in favour of others who have more ambitious plans", Jafari noted as one reason behind Australia's buyer-driven EV transition.

Which companies are involved?

As it stands, 101 companies and organisations have joined the alliance so far (a full list appears at the end of this article).

Some major players include Ikea, the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) and charging provider ABB EV, all of whom are interested in the transition to electrification.

For Ikea, "a strong, national EV strategy with targeted policy for the freight and logistics sector will enable the retail sector to accelerate its contribution to transport emissions reductions”, said fulfilment sourcing manager, Brendan Groll.

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The NECA wants to see guidance in the EV strategy for “infrastructure and workforce to support the transition to a cleaner economy on one of the largest sources of national emissions. NECA fully endorses the EV Council in making this a priority”, according to CEO Oliver Judd.

While product market manager at ABB EV Charging, Steve Amor, is interested in helping the Government roll out a national recharging strategy:

“ABB Australia wholeheartedly supports and agrees to participate in the proposal, as part of the collaborative EV industry, to assist in developing an Australian EV Strategy and policy to encourage, promote and support the transition of Australia’s wider vehicle population to electrification, with the ultimate goal of having one million electric vehicles on Australian roads by 2027.”

“If we get this EV Strategy right, the opportunities are enormous. We could be employing tens of thousands of Australians building batteries, chargers, cars, buses, and trucks. We’ll be cutting pollution from transport and doing our fair share to combat climate change. And we’ll be reducing our reliance on foreign oil by using Australian energy to move”, concluded Mr Jafari.

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The full list of participating companies and organisations