Australia’s role as the world’s dumping ground for outdated, high-emission vehicles will be reinforced if the Albanese Government does not act quickly to catch up with new fuel efficiency regulations as announced by the Biden Administration today, according to the Electric Vehicle Council.
Under the new US strategy, existing fuel economy regulations will be strengthened to the point where 67 per cent of cars sold in the country by 2032 would be electric.
Australia, on the other hand, is one of the few developed countries on earth without any kind of fuel efficiency requirements, the council noted.
Behyad Jafari, CEO of the Electric Vehicle Council, forewarned that Australia was under tremendous pressure to move quickly as a result of the US news.
“This shift in position from the US is of monumental consequence to Australia,” Jafari said.
The CEO explained that if automakers continue to view Australia as the outlier country, they will prioritise all other markets for their newest and best EVs, leaving Australia with their outdated gas guzzlers because it will be one of the only markets where there would not be any repercussions for doing so.
“We know the federal government has been slowly working on a new EV policy. This move in the US means the buzzer has sounded. The time for talk is done, we know the action we need to take, so let’s introduce strong new fuel efficiency standards now,” noted Jafari.
He added that if the US achieves its goals, the bulk of American drivers will save about $1,300 a year on fuel.
Australians are currently compelled to pump hundreds of dollars worth of gas because of the cost of living crisis, the CEO stated.
“Australian drivers deserve the same range of EV choice, the same speed of EV delivery, and the same second-hand EV market as Americans and Europeans. We can have that but only if the federal government acts now,” Jafari concluded.
