The Electric Vehicle Council has released new figures which show Australian EV sales are stagnant at a time when the rest of the world is growing.

In 2020, there were 6,900 EVs sold in Australia, a 2.7% increase from the 6,718 sold in 2019. The 2020 figures show EVs accounting for 0.7% of total Australian car sales.

By comparison, electric vehicles in the EU increased their market share from 3.8% in 2019 to 10.2% in 2020. In the UK, it was 3.1% in 2019 against 10.7% in 2020 while in California, market share went from 7.6% to 8.1%.

Electric Vehicle Council chief executive Behyad Jafari says the baffling Australian anomaly needed to end: “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 EVs. We have no targets, no significant incentives, no fuel efficiency standards – and in Victoria we even have a new tax on non-emitting vehicles.”

Behyad adds that Australian governments are doing what they can to ensure the country is stalled with its EV adoption while the rest of the world goes on ahead.

“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,” he says.

“If we follow the rest of the world and look to accelerate the shift to electric vehicles, we will be rewarded with clean city air, reduced carbon impact, enhanced fuel security, and a renewed manufacturing sector.”

He points towards Victoria’s special ‘tax on not polluting’ as not particularly special.

“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. Tim Pallas cut them a key to his office.

“The federal government’s inaction is bad, but even they’re not destructive enough to actively discourage EV uptake with a new tax.”