Electric Vehicle Council data shows Australia lagging well behind rest of the world with EV sales

New figures released by the Electric Vehicle Council show that Australian electric vehicle sales are stagnant at a time when the rest of the world is hitting the accelerator. In 2020, there were 6,900 electric cars sold in Australia, a 2.7% increase from the 6,718 sold in 2019. The figures show that EVs account for just 0.7% of total Australian car sales. By comparison, electric vehicles in the EU increased market share from 3.8% in 2019 to 10.2% in 2020. In the UK it was 3.1% in 2019 to 10.7% in 2020 and in California market share went from 7.6% to 8.1%. Norway is among the leaders with sales rising from 56% in 2019 to 75% in 2020. Politicians “yanking the handbrake” Electric Vehicle Council chief executive Behyad Jafari said the baffling Australian anomaly needed to end. He said: "Australian drivers are ready to join the exciting global electric car transition but our politicians are yanking the handbrake. "There's simply no sugar-coating it at this point – Australia has marked itself out as a uniquely hostile market to electric vehicles. "We have no targets, no significant incentives, no fuel efficiency standards – and in Victoria we even have a new tax on non-emitting vehicles. "Our governments are apparently doing everything possible to ensure Australia is stalled with its hazards on while the rest of the world zooms into the horizon. "The good news is that given Australia's abundant natural advantages, it would only take a handful of small changes from government to get us right back on track.” Victorian move "baffling" Jafari added the Victorian Government's recent move to implement a special ‘tax on not polluting’ was particularly baffling. "Victoria is now doing what no other jurisdiction on earth does by discouraging people from buying electric vehicles by slugging them with a special tax. "When this policy idea gets pushed by the oil lobby around the world, they typically get laughed out of the room. "The Federal Government’s inaction is bad, but even they’re not destructive enough to actively discourage electric vehicle uptake with a new tax."