Australia risks becoming dumping ground for world’s most polluting cars

The Driven

Australia risks becoming a dumping ground for the world’s worst polluting vehicles because of the absence of fuel and vehicle efficiency standards, according to a new report by BloombergNEF.

The assessment came as BloombergNEF noted that Australia remains a laggard in the uptake of electric vehicles, which accounted for just 0.7 per cent of total new car sales in 2019, despite a record year inspired by the release of the Tesla Model 3.

“The market is held back by a lack of sales incentives, poor model availability and a mismatch between consumer preferences and the EV models on offer,” BloombergNEF analyst Will Edmonds says.

“As a small right-hand drive market, without sales incentives or tailpipe standards, Australia risks becoming a dumping ground for heavy emitting models.

“At the best of times, manufacturers prioritise larger markets with strict emissions standards, or supportive policies, in their EV sales strategies. The Covid-19 pandemic is placing even more pressure on manufacturers’ supply chains, resulting in a bleak outlook for Australia’s already low number of available EV models.

“If manufacturers push the heavy emitting models they are unable, or unwilling, to sell in other markets into the garages of Australian consumers, it will take longer, and more effort, to bring down Australia’s rising transport sector emissions.

Australia has no policy for the uptake of EVs, with the current Coalition government ridiculing a proposed 50 per cent target put forward by Labor in the election campaign last year, although EVs do get a mention in the newly released Technology Investment Roadmap, which recognises that they can cut emissions and lower costs.

An EV policy was expected to be released by mid-2020, but it is no longer clear that that is the case.

To read the full version of this story – and view the photo gallery – on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven, click here…

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