Amidst panic buying of petrol at more than $2 a litre and a surge in sales of electric vehicles, the Federal Government must abandon plans to meddle with a key policy which can help free Australians from the bowser for good, Rewiring Australia said today.
"Battery-powered EVs can run on electricity we make in Australia, including ultra-cheap rooftop solar, while the energy in our fossil-fueled cars is imported from one of the world's least stable regions. It's no surprise today we've learned this month will be a record for EV sales, and dealership enquiries are at an all time high," Rewiring Australia CEO Francis Vierboom said.
"Australians will be spending over $700 more a year at the bowser because of instability on the other side of the world. The discount on salary packaging EVs gives working families an alternative to expensive and dirty petrol vehicles that is within reach to many families already grappling with the extreme cost of living.
"Every new EV sold today on a novated lease is an affordable ex-rental car for an Australian family in five years. Kill the new market now and you strangle the second-hand pipeline that would have made EVs more accessible to everyone."
Battery EVs hit a record 11.8 per cent of new car sales last month and used EV searches jumped 30 per cent in a single week as war in the Middle East rages on and restricts the supply of oil globally, sending petrol prices through the roof.
Mr Vierboom said the government should view the sudden demand for what it is: everyday community members buckling under the weight of exorbitant energy costs looking for a way to take back control of their cost-of-living.
"As the terrible and tragic pictures from the war in Iran pour in and we face the prospect of high petrol prices for many more months, EVs are suddenly passing the pub test in a lot more suburbs in Australia," he said.
"Over 400,000 Australians have already made the smart choice in choosing to drive an EV because of the huge savings, and doing that through salary packaging makes it a much easier decision. The government should not hit the brakes now.
"Transport accounts for around 22 per cent of Australia's total emissions and it's on track to become the nation's largest emitting sector by the end of this decade. Gutting demand for EVs now will lock in years of higher emissions from cars just as our electricity grid cleans up.
"It's also clearly the right time for the Government to accelerate the rollout of EV charging. Australians should know that when they make the switch, they can charge close to home, on the highway and at the shops.
"An accelerated rollout of public fast chargers will help achieve this and would be easily funded by ending rorts like the tax exemptions for $150,000 luxury performance utes, instead of policies which help everyday workers save their money and the planet," he said.
