HAIDI: AUSTRALIA RECENTLY UNVEILED ITS
ELECTRIC VEHICLE STRATEGY, AIMED AT INCREASING THE UPTICK
OF EV'S ACROSS THE NATION. BLOOMBERG DATA WILL SHOW THAT
EV'S REPRESENTED 3.6% OF AUSTRALIAN PASSENGER VEHICLE
SALES IN 2022. WITH US IS THE HEAD OF
AUSTRALIAN RESEARCHERS JOINS US IN SYDNEY.
WHAT IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF AUSTRALIA TO HAVE THIS LAG IN
THE UPTAKE? YOU SEE SO MUCH MORE OF A
PREFERENCE FOR GAS GUZZLING CARS IN THIS NATION.
>> GOOD MORNING, ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO BE HERE WITH YOU.
YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, AUSTRALIA IS A LAGGARD WHEN IT
COMES TO THE UPTAKE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
TO GIVE YOU A CONTEXT FOR THE FIGURE YOU JUST MENTIONED, BY
OUR CALCULATIONS GLOBALLY, ELECTRIC VEHICLES REPRESENTED
16% OF PASSENGER VEHICLES AROUND THE WORLD LAST YEAR.
IN MARKETS LIKE EUROPE AND CHINA, THEY REPRESENTED MORE
THAN ONE IN FOUR CAR SALES. NOW THE REASON THAT AUSTRALIA
IS LAGGING BEHIND IS MULTIFACETED BUT ULTIMATELY IN
PRIMARILY, IT'S A QUESTION AND ISSUE OF POLICY AND A LACK OF
IT.
IN PARTICULAR AUSTRALIA RIGHT NOW LACKS ANY FORM OF FUEL
EFFICIENCY STANDARDS OR ANY POLICY THAT WOULD CONTROL THE
CARBON INTENSITY OF CARS SOLD INTO THE COUNTRY.
AND WHILE GLOBALLY THE SUPPLY OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES IS
LIMITED, AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURERS ARE PRIORITIZING
OTHER MARKETS WHERE THESE TYPES OF POLICIES EXIST. AND THEY ARE
NOT PRIORITIZING THE AUSTRALIAN MARKET.
AS A CONSEQUENCE, AUSTRALIAN DEMAND FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES
WILL GROSSLY OUTRACE SUPPLY IN AUSTRALIA IS LIKELY TO LAG.
SHERY: DOES THE NATIONAL STRATEGY
INCLUDE THOSE POLICIES THAT ARE NEEDED? LEONARD:
THE RECENTLY RELEASED NATIONAL ELECTRIC VEHICLE STRATEGY FOR
AUSTRALIA WAS A BIT OF A NOTHING BURGER.
IT WAS A PLAN TO HAVE A PLAN. WHILE IT HAD PILLARS SUPPORTING
THE UPTAKE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES OVER TIME, THE FUEL EFFICIENCY
STANDARD COMPONENT WAS INCREDIBLY LIGHT ON DETAILS.
GOVERNMENT HAS ENTERED CONSULTATION ON FUEL EFFICIENCY
STANDARDS BUT IT HAS STATED THAT IT INTENDS TO RELEASE IT
LATER ON THIS YEAR. THIS IS THE COMPONENT OF THE
POLICY TO WATCH. TO UNDERSTAND THE UPTAKE OF
ELECTRIC VEHICLES UP IN THE YEARS AHEAD.
THE STRINGENCY AND EFFICIENCY STANDARD, AS WELL AS PENALTIES
IN PLACE FOR NONCOMPLIANCE ON THE PART OF AUTOMAKERS WILL
DICTATE WHAT THE UPTAKE OF EV'S WILL LOOK LIKE IN THIS DECADE
AND BEYOND.
HAIDI: AUSTRALIA SET BROAD TARGETS BY
2030. SEVERAL STATES ARE TARGETING
ONE HUNDRED PERCENT SALES BY 2035.
I SUPPOSE MY QUESTION IS THAT ARE LATE THAN NEVER OR TOO
LITTLE TOO LATE? LEONARD: IT IS A BIT OF BOTH, DEPENDING
ON HOW YOU LOOK AT IT. RIGHT NOW THE TRANSPORT SECTOR
IS THE SECOND LARGEST SOURCE OF CARBON OMISSIONS ACROSS
ESTRELLA. THE ELECTRICITY SECTOR BEING
NUMBER ONE. BECAUSE AUSTRALIA HAS LEFT
DRIVING ELECTRICAL SO LATE INTO THE GAMES AND CARBON INTENSIVE
GASOLINE CARS CAN REMAIN ON THE ROADS FOR 10, 15 OR EVEN MORE
YEARS, ELECTRIC VEHICLE UPTAKE LATER ON THIS DECADE IS
UNLIKELY TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT IN ASSISTING AUSTRALIA
TO REACH ITS EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS TARGETS BY THE YEAR
2030. AS YOU HIGHLIGHTED, IT'S NOT
THE ONLY TIGER THAT EXISTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS STATED IT WOULD LIKE TO SEE
ELECTRIC VEHICLES REPRESENTING ABOUT 89% OF ALL PASSENGER
VEHICLE SALES BY THE YEAR 2030. SEVERAL STATES HAVE SET MORE
AMBITIOUS TARGETS, TARGETING 100% BY THE YEAR 2035.
BUT OF COURSE THESE TARGETS ARE QUITE AMBITIOUS COMPARED TO
WHERE THE COUNTRY IS RIGHT NOW. THERE IS A LOT TO DO AND REALLY
NOT MUCH TIME.
BUT TO GET THERE, IT DRAWS INTO THE QUESTION, OTHER SUPPORTIVE
POLICIES FOR THE UPTAKE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES, THE RAPID
DEPLOYMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE TO ASSIST IN THE CHARGING OF
VEHICLES TO MAKE SURE THE PHYSICAL ABILITY TO CHARGE CARS
DOES NOT BOTTLENECK ITS DECARBONIZATION EFFORTS IN ITS
TRANSPORT SECTOR.