Electric Vehicles

Senate inquiry to urge EV targets, range of incentives

Published by

Independent Senator Tim Storer has hinted strongly that the Senate EV Inquiry he is chairing will recommend national targets to encourage electric vehicle uptake in Australia, along with a number of other incentives.

The inquiry’s report is due to be delivered by December 4 and is currently being finalised. Storer says he is keen to help kick-start the sector in Australia, which despite great enthusiasm from consumers is yet to take off because of a lack of available models, high costs and limited infrastructure.

Storer signalled the targets and initiatives at a speech at the Australian Electric Vehicle Association’s annual conference in Brisbane on Friday.

He referenced the New Zealand target of 64,000 EVs by 2021, supported by government fleet purchases, tax exemptions and some grants, and the UK Conservative government’s new “road to zero” program that aims of 100 per cent sales of EVs by 2040, and government fleet target of 25 per cent by 2022 and 100 per cent by 2030.

This would be supported by tax incentives, R&D grants and other initiatives.

To read more on this story, please go to our EV-focused sister site, The Driven. 

 

Giles Parkinson is founder and editor-in-chief of Renew Economy, and founder and editor of its EV-focused sister site The Driven. He is the co-host of the weekly Energy Insiders Podcast. Giles has been a journalist for more than 40 years and is a former deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review. You can find him on LinkedIn and on Twitter.

Giles Parkinson

Giles Parkinson is founder and editor-in-chief of Renew Economy, and founder and editor of its EV-focused sister site The Driven. He is the co-host of the weekly Energy Insiders Podcast. Giles has been a journalist for more than 40 years and is a former deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review. You can find him on LinkedIn and on Twitter.

Share
Published by

Recent Posts

Offshore wind “absolutely needed” and electrification efforts must defy “vested interests,” D’Ambrosio says

Victoria's former energy minister talks gas bans and coal closures – and says that without…

3 September 2026

Note to One Nation: Regions aren’t rejecting renewables, they just want them done properly

Anger about renewables will not be fixed by scrapping, burning or burying. If political leaders…

3 September 2026

“Why do we bother?” Australia can’t compete with China’s green transition, but it can leverage its success

A key to China's "staggering" economic success is that its "commitment to decarbonisation is absolutely…

3 September 2026

First turbine goes up at state’s only wind farm under construction

The first of 69 wind turbines has been erected at the 414 megawatt project that…

3 September 2026

Hundreds left without electricity as fire guts hydro power station

A major hydroelectric power plant has gone up in flames, gutting the station's main building…

3 September 2026

Big battery owner slapped with hefty fine for pushing up power prices and “profit maximising”

State owned company cops hefty fine for "profit maximising" and electricity price "distorting," through battery…

3 September 2026