Electric vehicles

Australians want but don’t buy electric vehicles (EVs). Surveys say they want them, but VFACTS statistics show they buy very few. Our governments, compared to others in the world, have done very little to encourage EVs. With all the mixed messages, it’s no wonder Australia is dawdling behind the rest. Read More

Usually we notice the sound our car makes only when it’s the wrong kind. But car sounds are becoming more important for electric vehicles because we simply don’t hear them. This means manufacturers are spending millions to create just the right sound to fit their brand. Read More

We remember when governments claimed diesel engines were “green” because they used less fuel and emitted less CO2. How times have changed. Now electric vehicles are “green” and diesels have fallen from grace. Even so, buyers may not be convinced that EVs are quite as green as they first appear. Read More

The chances of seeing a hybrid in Australia are still quite slim. Only 4,000 hybrid vehicles are on our roads, a mere 0.1% of new vehicle sales. Kiwis are already driving that same number of hybrids, even though their population is a fifth of ours. What is holding us back?

First of all, we don’t know what they are. Second, they seem too expensive anyway. Read More

Electric vehicles (EVs) are not big sellers in Australia yet. In 2016 we bought only 1,369 EVs, a drop from 1,771 in 2015. Even then, most were plug-in hybrids, rather than all-electric vehicles. Yet carmakers say the future is electric. Recent moves by countries like China and the UK to limit or ban petrol and diesel suggest it’s true. Read More

How many electric vehicles (EVs) have you seen on the road? Probably not many. Sales of EVs in Australia dropped 23% in 2016: only 701 plug-in hybrids and 668 fully electric. In September 2017, Australians bought 100,200 cars and only 93 were pure EVs while 907 were hybrids. No wonder the NRMA and Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) wants action to encourage us to go out and buy them. Read More

Unless you are a motor enthusiast, you might not know much about electric vehicles (EVs). With so few of them driving on Australian roads, you might wonder if there is something wrong with them. In fact, by far the biggest problem is price. And second, the Australian government offers little incentive to pay extra for electric cars.

Read More