Australia is not ready its cars to be replaced by electric vehicles (EVs).

That’s according to Toyota’s boss for sales in the country, Sean Hanley, who believes that a push to see EVs replace petrol and diesel cars on the roads could leave many drivers behind.

Toyota sold 230,000 cars in Australia last year, making it one of the country’s largest carmakers.

Mr Hanley said: “If we just move to only zero-emission vehicles, what are you going to tell the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Australians who tow caravans, who use their cars for work, who need their cars on the land, who need their cars in the mine, who need more than a 200 or 300km range?”

He said he supports the federal government’s National Electric Vehicle Strategy and commitment to a new fuel-efficiency standard but it cannot be the only option.

“What battery electric vehicle do we have right now on sale in Australia that can tow 2.5 tonnes for 600km? We don’t. It doesn’t exist,” he added.

Greenpeace’s Lindsay Soutar said: “Toyota has stalled on pure electric cars, opting to promote hybrid and fuel-cell technologies that will lock customers into paying for fossil fuels for decades to come.

“Pushing for petrol cars in 2023, in the middle of a climate and cost-of-living crisis, is laughable and Australians won’t be convinced.”

Mr Hanley stressed that Toyota was “not against battery electric vehicle technology” and is still set to have its own EV hit Australian roads in 2023.

He concluded: “We’ve spoken to the government and I think we have represented the silent voices of hundreds of thousands of Australians consumers who use their cars for leisure, towing and lots of other activities.

“I know some lobby groups have alleged we’ve tried to stop, prevent, stall electrification but that’s not true. We’ve simply represented the market truth and the market reality.”