Coalition scrapes bottom of barrel with campaign against EVs

The Driven

It’s been a significant week for electric vehicles in Australia.

First, there was the Labor policy to introduce a target for half of all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2030, and the suggestion from the NRMA that the target should be twice as high and twice as quick, and effectively ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2025.

The response from the conservatives has been equally stunning, starting with the uninformed drivel from Sky News commentators last Monday, before misinformation and outright lies were embraced as official party policy from the Coalition by week’s end.

Prime minister Scott Morrison has even suggested that Labor’s policy will bring an end to the “Australian weekend” – apparently because EVs can’t tow boats or caravans (some of them can), and you can’t take them camping (actually, they are an asset).

And here’s the irony. The Coalition’s own emissions reduction policy, as revealed by Environment Department officials in Senate Estimates last week, factors in 25-50 per cent share of electric vehicles in new vehicle sales by 2030.

“Electric vehicles could make up between 25 and 50 per cent of new car sales in 2030 if supported by coordination and facilitation of local, state and Commonwealth actions, coordinated through a national strategy, which is the measure that is announced in the Climate Solutions Package,” said Kristin Tilley.

The argument for transitioning to electric cars is simple: as a contributor of 19% of our greenhouse gas emissions, transport needs to move to cleaner options, by setting targets and introducing stricter fuel emissions standards.

It’s being done already overseas throughout a number of progressive nations. If implemented, a 50% EV target by 2030 would bring Australia – which has been branded a laggard in EV adoption compared to the rest of the developed world – more in line with progressive nations around the world.

In Norway for example, a target of 100% electric cars by 2025 (a more ambitious target than put forward by the Australian Greens which is calling for 100% EVs by 2030) has been instrumental in transitioning the auto market there so effectively that half of all cars on the road are now electric.

Little wonder that the Coalition does not want to reveal its EV policy until the middle of next year. This level of deceit is hard to maintain, but the Coalition – along with One Nation – is giving it a fair crack.

So here goes – the ammo from the Coalition and One Nation is so ludicrous it would actually be difficult not to let a giggle go if it weren’t so horrifyingly stupid.

Lie #1: That Bill Shorten is wrong about fast-charging electric cars

Read the full story on RenewEconomy’s electric vehicle dedicated site, The Driven…