As families all over Australia grapple with increasing petrol prices, now is the time to introduce fuel efficiency standards to make electric vehicles more affordable and accessible, says Greenpeace Australia Pacific.
The increase in prices at the bowser, driven by Russia’s war in Ukraine and the end of the fuel excise rate cut, comes the day before World Electric Vehicle Day on September 29, which Greenpeace senior campaigner Lindsay Soutar says provides an ideal opportunity for the Federal Government to make it easier for Australian families and businesses to purchase electric vehicles.
“The best way to reduce Australians’ exposure to spiralling petrol prices is to no longer rely on petrol. An electric car costs half as much per kilometre travelled as a petrol car, and even less if powered by homegrown rooftop solar. This is why it is so urgent that the federal government gets on with the job of making electric vehicles more affordable and accessible to all.”
“Here in Australia, we have no fuel efficiency standards so we’ve become the dumping ground for car manufacturers’ most polluting and inefficient cars that other countries won’t take. It’s costing us money, and trashing our climate.”
“The Federal Government can steer Australia’s electric transport into the fast lane by introducing strong fuel efficiency standards that will make cleaner electric vehicles affordable and accessible for all Australians,” said Soutar.
Sarah Megginson, money expert at Finder said:
“Fluctuating petrol prices are putting a significant amount of financial strain on Australians, particularly against the backdrop of rising overall cost of living.
“This stress is only set to worsen as the fuel excise comes to an end. On the eve of the excise ending, almost a third of Australians listed petrol as one of the expenses causing them the most stress – a huge jump from 13 per cent this time last year.”
“A whopping 2.6 million Aussie drivers are considering switching to electric vehicles because of surging petrol prices, as they attempt to avoid a portion of the $62.5 billion in net fuel excise set to be paid by Australians over the next four years.”
Lynley Hamblen, mother of two from Sydney’s southern suburbs says:
“Our family of four has decided we won’t buy another petrol car, but finding an electric vehicle that meets our needs has proven challenging.
We buy for the long term, and I know soon we will be surrounded by sweaty teenagers and I want a bigger car that will grow with our family. But the lack of support for electric vehicle uptake in Australia means families like mine have to hit the brakes on our plans to go electric.
“We hear that there are many more models available overseas, and families like ours just want the Government to have more supportive policies to give us the same options and affordability that families overseas have.”
Notes:
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Photos of Lynley Hamblen and sons Hugo (4) and Fletcher (12 months)
