Wednesday 19 April 2023

New emissions standard to boost EVs in Australia

Australia has introduced a new fuel efficiency standard to drive further uptake of electric vehicles (EVs).

This standard will incentivise carmakers to make more zero-emission vehicles, Energy Minister Chris Bowen said.

“Fuel-efficient and EVs are cleaner and cheaper to run – today’s announcement is a win-win for motorists,” he stated.

Australia has been far behind other developed economies in selling EVs, with just 3.8% of its cars sold last year being electric.

In comparison, Europe had a 17% share of EVs, with the UK having 15%.

The standard will show how much carbon a car produces while the engine is running – with Mr Bowen claiming it will save the public more than $500 (£270) each year.

It’s expected to cut the country’s carbon emissions by three million tonnes by 2030 and 10 million tonnes by 2035.