Victoria speeding toward zero emissions with electric vehicles

Today’s report on driverless, electric cars by Infrastructure Victoria sets the stage for Victoria to lead the way in the transition to climate-safe, low emissions vehicles, say Environment Victoria and the Electric Vehicle Council.

With new models about to hit the market next month, both organisations are calling on all parties to provide a long-term plan to support the rollout of electric vehicles ahead of the Victorian state election.

“With the right investment and strong government ambition, Victoria can become a leader in deploying electric cars,” said Dean Rizzetti, Public Policy and Advocacy Manager at Environment Victoria.

“Electric cars will reduce carbon emissions and urban air pollution.

“To secure the benefits of electric vehicles, we need the next state government to have a clear long-term plan to make way for this new technology and making sure it is as climate-friendly as possible.

“We know the uptake of electric vehicles will increase the amount of energy we draw from the grid, so it is vital that we continue to invest in large scale renewable energy to keep costs down and ensure that electric cars help reduce carbon pollution.

“The transition to electric vehicles is one part of a comprehensive strategy to clean up our transport system. We also need to prioritise improvements in public and active transport to decongest our roads and our air.

“Ahead of the November election, we’re calling on all parties to provide Victorians with a long-term plan to secure our future of low emissions vehicles powered by renewable energy,” said Mr Rizzetti.

Environment Victoria and the Electric Vehicles Council are calling on all sides of politics to commit to the following policies to be delivered over the next five years:

• Set a target for 5% of all new car sales to be electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids
• Allow Electric Vehicles to use high occupancy lanes
• Cut stamp duty and provide a five-year registration holiday for all electric cars
• Set an ambitious emissions target for Victoria’s government vehicle fleet
• Offer rebates to build public charging stations, with rebates targeted to areas where they are needed to build a network that avoids clusters in affluent areas

“Every electric vehicle on the road means healthier people, cheaper transport and less reliance on imported oil,” said Behyad Jafari, CEO Electric Vehicle Council of Australia.

“Infrastructure Victoria’s extensive report is the latest in a long line of evidence that shows Australians stand to benefit from the transition to electric vehicles.

“What we need now is clear leadership from our governments to accelerate the deployment of electric vehicles and charging stations.

“Demonstrating that we support the global transition to electric will mean Australians have access to the latest technology that reduces emissions and the high cost households pay for transport.

“Today Australia lags the world in supporting the change to electric vehicles, but with the right policies and regulations that can change fast. We need to see leadership from all parties who intend to run the state, by getting behind zero emissions transport and the clean electricity we need to run it.

“We also have a once in a generation opportunity to reinvigorate our automotive industry, by tapping into the global trend towards electric vehicles.

“A range of businesses are being created to provide new technologies and services in the EV future – no one stands to gain more from that than Australia,” said Mr Jafari.