The Greens have released a policy plan that aims to get 31,000 more electric vehicles on Australian roads by 2021 – up from little more than 1,000 now – and add 330 more charging stations.
The plan involves subsidising EV buyers to the tune of free registration for the first five years after purchase of a fully electric vehicle, as well as providing local governments and NGOs with $50 million in grants to meet the cost gap between EVs and conventional cars.
The Greens also propose providing another $151 million in grants to support the installation of EV charging stations or infrastructure by local and state governments, as well as car park operators.
The policy would also disincentivise the uptake of non-electric vehicles by increasing the luxury car tax to 50 per cent for cars worth more than $100,000.
Further, it would bring electric vehicle manufacturing companies into the federal Automotive Transformation Scheme, to grow the jobs and skills in the electric vehicle industry.
The Greens’ EV policy launch follows on from last week’s announcement of a battery storage scheme that would help more than one million Australian households install heavily discounted battery systems over the next five years.
“Our transport and electricity systems are merging, where the solar panels on our rooves and the batteries in our cars are all part of the one system,” the Greens said in their policy announcement on Wednesday
“Evidence from other countries is that government has a crucial role to play in building the infrastructure and providing the incentives for early adoption of electric vehicles.
“EVs powered by renewables and battery storage will form a key part of our pollution-free future.”
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