“This is about freedom of choice:” Bowen moves to break down barriers to EVs

The Driven

Federal climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen has announced Labor will soon release a discussion paper on fuel emissions standards in a move that could break down the biggest barrier to the uptake of electric vehicles in Australia.

Labor is about to release its National Electric Vehicle Strategy, and at its core will be a focus on the need for a fuel emissions standard, cited as the main reason Australian consumers have access to a limited and expensive range of EVs, and why EV adoption is the lowest in the western world.

“This is ultimately about choice.  Freedom of choice,” Bowen will say in the opening address to the EV Summit in Canberra on Friday.

“Policy settings are denying Australians real choice of good, affordable, no emissions cars. In fact, when asked, more than one in two people said they would consider buying electric for their next vehicle– but the actual number of cars sold shows there are serious barriers which need to be addressed.

“We believe that now is the time to have an orderly and sensible discussion about whether vehicle fuel efficiency standards could help improve the supply of electric vehicles into the Australian market, to address the cost-of-living impacts of inefficient cars, and to reduce emissions from the transport sector. ”

The approach by Labor, of course, is the direct opposite to the previous Coalition government, which had mocked Labor’s approach in the 2019 campaign, warning EVs would ruin the weekend, and the economy. “They won’t tow your boat,” then prime minister Scott Morrison infamously said.

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