The variety of battery electrical autos bought in Australia has fallen to its lowest stage in two years as Australians proceed shopping for conventional internal-combustion vehicles or flip to traditional and plug-in hybrids, in keeping with the nation’s peak motoring physique.
There have been 17,914 new battery electrical autos bought within the first three months of this 12 months, in keeping with the Australian Car Affiliation (AAA), equal to six.3% of all new automobile gross sales.
The final time the variety of new electrical autos bought was this low was within the first three months of 2023, when 17,396 vehicles had been bought, the AAA’s quarterly electrical car report mentioned.
This 12 months’s first quarter figures additionally signify a decline in market share in comparison with the ultimate quarter of 2024, when battery EVs made up 7.42% of recent automobile gross sales with 21,331 bought, the AAA figures confirmed.
Autos with conventional inner combustion engines continued to dominate despite the fact that they too dropped in reputation, with 206,810 bought within the March quarter, or 72.68% of all new automobile gross sales.
Within the remaining three months of 2024, 215,789 vehicles with inner combustion engines had been bought, figuring out to 75.1% of the market, the AAA’s report mentioned.
On the identical time, nonetheless, gross sales of standard hybrid vehicles – which mix a petroleum or diesel engine with an electrical motor – and plug-in hybrids, which additionally comprise a rechargeable battery – boomed.
The variety of plug-in-hybrids bought practically doubled to 13,698 – 4.81% of the market – within the first three months of this 12 months in contrast with 7,556 gross sales – 2.63% of the market – within the remaining quarter of 2024.
The variety of standard hybrid autos bought elevated from 42,618 to 46,115 over the identical interval.
To compile its stories, the AAA says it collates data from a spread of sources together with automobile gross sales knowledge from two peak manufacturing our bodies – the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and the Electrical Car Council.
Total, automobile gross sales fell by 0.96% within the March quarter, the report mentioned.
The decline within the variety of electrical autos bought got here within the speedy wake of the federal authorities’s nationwide car effectivity commonplace coming into impact on 1 January.
Launched by the Albanese authorities in its first time period, the usual is designed to convey extra fuel-efficient vehicles into the market by penalising producers of high-polluting autos in the event that they exceed an emissions cap.
The cap – which the federal government has mentioned will likely be lowered over time – applies to new vehicles, in an effort to incentivise carmakers to provide low-and zero-emissions autos to Australia.
It was anticipated the usual would decrease the price of electrical autos by making it cheaper and simpler to convey them into the market.
The federal government has mentioned the usual will scale back greenhouse fuel emissions from new passenger autos by greater than 60% by 2030.
The usual types a part of the federal government’s plan to attain its dedication to decrease greenhouse fuel emissions to 43% under 2005 ranges by 2030 and obtain net-zero emissions by 2050.
The local weather change and vitality minister, Chris Bowen, has been contacted for remark.
