South Australian per 10,000 electric car sales leads Australia with the Australian Capital Territory in 2017
Graph showing South Australia nearly matching Australian Capital Territory for electric car sales per 10,000 in 2016-17.
Electric cars sales in South Australia jumped significantly in 2017 to nearly match the Australian Capital Territory as the nation’s leaders. The second annual State of Electric Vehicles in Australia report said 152 electric vehicles were bought in South Australia between mid-2016 and mid-2017.
Electric vehicle sales per 10,000 vehicles sold has surged but remained a tiny proportion of total vehicle sales in Australia. The report was produced by not-for-profit research firm ClimateWorks on behalf of the national Electric Vehicle Council. The jump in electric vehicle sales in South Australia coincides with an increase in charging points from 42 to 76 across the state. But the high price of electric vehicles remained a barrier with most electric vehicles sold in Australia are valued above $60,000.
Adelaide City Council harnessed the support of local governments to push for a national approach to electric car rules and regulations, at the Australian Local Government Association assembly in Canberra. A nationally consistent approach to registering and collecting information on electric and hybrid vehicles may reduce red tape associated with the sale of these vehicles.
The city council was part of a Climate Action Roundtable meeting in Adelaide where climate action leaders signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing to develop a plan to increase the share of electric vehicles in their fleets and to consider how to use their combined market power to promote the public uptake of electric vehicles. They also agreed to coordinate the planning and construction of infrastructure for electric vehicles and seek to align states’ standards and incentives.
Australia is well behind other countries in the takeup of electric and hybrid vehicles. Norway, for example, has one in 100 registered vehicles with electric plugin.
