Prime Minister Scott Morrison denied accusations of hypocrisy as he revealed the government’s new clean car policy.

Before the 2019 federal election, he allegedly attacked the use of electric vehicles when he said Labor would “end the weekend”.

And now, electric vehicles are the focus of a $500 million strategy, which is projected to reshape Australia’s transport sector and put up to 1.7 million electric vehicles on roads by 2030.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on a recent press conference at Toyota Hydrogen Centre. Photo by Danielle Bonica via ABC News.
​

The strategy involves focusing on public and household electric vehicle charging, as well as providing electric alternatives for commercial fleets and heavy long-distance vehicles.

More than 50,000 households and 400 businesses are expected to have access to charging infrastructures, alongside at least 1000 public charging stations.

Once implemented, the approach is projected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by eight metric tonnes by 2035.

The strategy would also create at least 2600 jobs after three years of operation.

Fast-charging stations will be accessed by up to 84 per cent of the population, as anticipated by the government.

By making sure the electricity grid will be ready for widespread use of electric vehicles, the project can avoid upgrade costs of $224 million this decade.

Switching to fuel-free alternatives is also expected to cut overall health costs by nearly $200 million by 2035.

Morrison says he won't 'force' Australians into driving electric vehicles. Photo by William West via The Guardian.
​

During a press conference in Melbourne, Morrison denied his criticisms of the EV technology.

Before the last election, he said battery-powered cars would not “tow your trailer. It’s not going to tow your boat. It’s not going to get you out to your favourite camping spot with your family”. He also attacked the costs charging an EV would incur, and ridiculed whether a person who owned an EV and lived in an apartment was “going to run the extension cord down from your fourth-floor window?”.

On Tuesday, the PM insisted his previous remarks were directed to Labor’s then-policy, not the EV technology itself. Though, he did not regret saying electric vehicles would “end the weekend”.

“I don’t have a problem with electric vehicles, I have a problem with governments telling people what to do and what vehicles they should drive and where they should drive them, which is what [former opposition leader] Bill Shorten’s plan was,” Morrison claimed.

“I’m not going to put up the price of petrol and make families buy electric vehicles, and walk away from the things they have. That is not the Liberal way and the Nationals way.”

The prime minister also asserted that the government would not “force Australians out of the car they want to drive or penalise those who can least afford it through bans or taxes”.

“Australians love their family sedan, farmers rely on their trusted ute, and our economy counts on trucks and trains to deliver goods from coast to coast,” he added.

“We will not be forcing Australians out of the car they want to drive or penalising those who can least afford it through bans or taxes.”

“Instead, the strategy will work to drive down the cost of low and zero-emission vehicles and enhance consumer choice.”


What do you think of the Prime Minister’s plan? Would you own and drive an electric car yourself?

 

[Hieme]

I've always thought that electric vehicles are an urban commuter. I'm old, retired and looking to replace my current Four Wheel Drive. What four wheel drive EV's are on the market for towing, and how do you charge them for when you're 'outback'. What mileage can you get out of a 'charge' when your doing night driving with headlights and driving lights on? How long does it take to charge before you can get going again? When I was in Europe in 2018 Service stations had EV charging points. One I stopped at for fuel had 35 charging points with about 100 cars queued up. I was told that was the 'norm' for EV;'s Has the technology developed beyond that?

 

[68autobug]

I'm also elderly, retired and live in a small country town. Electric cars would need to come down in price for most people to even look at them... Volkswagen sells the most electric cars overseas but they are NOT available in Australia.. and people who may have been looking at electric cars in Victoria, will have now dismissed them , due to the TAX that Victoria has put on them.. Hybrid cars would be favored more in Country Areas , if they were much less expensive then they are Now... Electric Car Batteries are getting better all the time , so the distance they can travel is getting better also. If everyone had an electric car then the problem would be sourcing the electricity at night to recharge the car Batteries. No Solar Power once the sun goes down. Although some people could recharge their electric car once they got to work , if there was a recharging station nearby... [daytime]. plus an electric car with Air conditioning On during Our Hot summers or wipers & Headlamps on in Rain, and driving up steep highway roads would deplete the Batteries much sooner with the high drain from the Batteries. I don't believe there are any 4WD electric vehicles that can tow a caravan , that can replace a PAJERO or PRADO etc..

 

[Hieme]

Well, it looks like I'm not alone in wanting answers, It still appears that EV's are an urban commuter suitable for the majority of people most of the time. And, if you don't live and commute in the 'burbs then EV's are redundant to the large distances to cover in Australia.

 

[Topher]

Prime Minister Scott Morrison unveils new clean car policy​

Prime Minister Scott Morrison denied accusations of hypocrisy as he revealed the government’s new clean car policy.

Before the 2019 federal election, he allegedly attacked the use of electric vehicles when he said Labor would “end the weekend”.

And now, electric vehicles are the focus of a $500 million strategy, which is projected to reshape Australia’s transport sector and put up to 1.7 million electric vehicles on roads by 2030.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on a recent press conference at Toyota Hydrogen Centre. Photo by Danielle Bonica via ABC News.
​

The strategy involves focusing on public and household electric vehicle charging, as well as providing electric alternatives for commercial fleets and heavy long-distance vehicles.

More than 50,000 households and 400 businesses are expected to have access to charging infrastructures, alongside at least 1000 public charging stations.

Once implemented, the approach is projected to cut carbon dioxide emissions by eight metric tonnes by 2035.

The strategy would also create at least 2600 jobs after three years of operation.

Fast-charging stations will be accessed by up to 84 per cent of the population, as anticipated by the government.

By making sure the electricity grid will be ready for widespread use of electric vehicles, the project can avoid upgrade costs of $224 million this decade.

Switching to fuel-free alternatives is also expected to cut overall health costs by nearly $200 million by 2035.

Morrison says he won't 'force' Australians into driving electric vehicles. Photo by William West via The Guardian.
​

During a press conference in Melbourne, Morrison denied his criticisms of the EV technology.

Before the last election, he said battery-powered cars would not “tow your trailer. It’s not going to tow your boat. It’s not going to get you out to your favourite camping spot with your family”. He also attacked the costs charging an EV would incur, and ridiculed whether a person who owned an EV and lived in an apartment was “going to run the extension cord down from your fourth-floor window?”.

On Tuesday, the PM insisted his previous remarks were directed to Labor’s then-policy, not the EV technology itself. Though, he did not regret saying electric vehicles would “end the weekend”.

“I don’t have a problem with electric vehicles, I have a problem with governments telling people what to do and what vehicles they should drive and where they should drive them, which is what [former opposition leader] Bill Shorten’s plan was,” Morrison claimed.

“I’m not going to put up the price of petrol and make families buy electric vehicles, and walk away from the things they have. That is not the Liberal way and the Nationals way.”

The prime minister also asserted that the government would not “force Australians out of the car they want to drive or penalise those who can least afford it through bans or taxes”.

“Australians love their family sedan, farmers rely on their trusted ute, and our economy counts on trucks and trains to deliver goods from coast to coast,” he added.

“We will not be forcing Australians out of the car they want to drive or penalising those who can least afford it through bans or taxes.”

“Instead, the strategy will work to drive down the cost of low and zero-emission vehicles and enhance consumer choice.”


What do you think of the Prime Minister’s plan? Would you own and drive an electric car yourself?

The issue is far larger and more significant than just "a car": the potential is there for recharging via solar panels (and using electric power stored in car-, rather than household-, battery systems during peak hours, allowing vehicle recharging to be done during off-peak, low demand times) and via office car park, sport's club (even church) charging stations.

Additionally, has anyone considered the effects of this on service centres (fewer big petrol/diesel tankers on the road), spare parts, vintage car clubs, RACQ/NRMA, etc. "You just need a new battery"!) and so many more considerations?

What would a moto-cross event or a Formula One race be without those deep-throated V8 bellows? Just try to picture a drag race without flames jetting from stub exhausts and then the adrenaline rush from the body shaking roar of turbos and supercharged motors ... unmuffled! The fans would be appalled!

So far, left out of the equation are those ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles which use recycled cooking oil or methane (particularly useful for cattle farmers!) for their fuel.

Electric cars is not the only solution.

 

[Topher]

I'm also elderly, retired and live in a small country town. Electric cars would need to come down in price for most people to even look at them... Volkswagen sells the most electric cars overseas but they are NOT available in Australia.. and people who may have been looking at electric cars in Victoria, will have now dismissed them , due to the TAX that Victoria has put on them.. Hybrid cars would be favored more in Country Areas , if they were much less expensive then they are Now... Electric Car Batteries are getting better all the time , so the distance they can travel is getting better also. If everyone had an electric car then the problem would be sourcing the electricity at night to recharge the car Batteries. No Solar Power once the sun goes down. Although some people could recharge their electric car once they got to work , if there was a recharging station nearby... [daytime]. plus an electric car with Air conditioning On during Our Hot summers or wipers & Headlamps on in Rain, and driving up steep highway roads would deplete the Batteries much sooner with the high drain from the Batteries. I don't believe there are any 4WD electric vehicles that can tow a caravan , that can replace a PAJERO or PRADO etc..

Home recharging associated (if the house has it) to your feed-in, feed-out solar inverter. Power company uses your unused car electric power during peak hours (and pays you handsomely for it) then recharges your vehicle during off-peak times : there are people in Australia doing that now and actually having annual credit in their power accounts!

 

[Hieme]

The issue is far larger and more significant than just "a car": the potential is there for recharging via solar panels (and using electric power stored in car-, rather than household-, battery systems during peak hours, allowing vehicle recharging to be done during off-peak, low demand times) and via office car park, sport's club (even church) charging stations.

Additionally, has anyone considered the effects of this on service centres (fewer big petrol/diesel tankers on the road), spare parts, vintage car clubs, RACQ/NRMA, etc. "You just need a new battery"!) and so many more considerations?

What would a moto-cross event or a Formula One race be without those deep-throated V8 bellows? Just try to picture a drag race without flames jetting from stub exhausts and then the adrenaline rush from the body shaking roar of turbos and supercharged motors ... unmuffled! The fans would be appalled!

So far, left out of the equation are those ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles which use recycled cooking oil or methane (particularly useful for cattle farmers!) for their fuel.

Electric cars is not the only solution.

I agree with you Topher. There are electric open wheel car races in Europe and they are great to watch. My concern is not the loss of noise or the smell of racing fuel (although I love them), for myself and a lot of people it's just the impractical idea of EV's for those who are not urban commuters. My opinion is that Australia should be developing Hydrogen Vehicle technology which means there is virtually no down time when travelling. Where you can fill up night or day and be on the road again in a matter of minutes.

 

[Vinylted]

Home recharging associated (if the house has it) to your feed-in, feed-out solar inverter. Power company uses your unused car electric power during peak hours (and pays you handsomely for it) then recharges your vehicle during off-peak times : there are people in Australia doing that now and actually having annual credit in their power accounts!

Where did you get the idea that "and pays you handsomely for it" works? Feed in tariffs are absurd here in Australia. Your pay min of 25C or so per kwh off the grid, they repay 10C khh for your solar. Also where ever did people get the idea that recharging stations would dispense free power... get real, the more ev's on the road the dearer electricity will get!

 

[Jennie]

I'm also elderly, retired and live in a small country town. Electric cars would need to come down in price for most people to even look at them... Volkswagen sells the most electric cars overseas but they are NOT available in Australia.. and people who may have been looking at electric cars in Victoria, will have now dismissed them , due to the TAX that Victoria has put on them.. Hybrid cars would be favored more in Country Areas , if they were much less expensive then they are Now... Electric Car Batteries are getting better all the time , so the distance they can travel is getting better also. If everyone had an electric car then the problem would be sourcing the electricity at night to recharge the car Batteries. No Solar Power once the sun goes down. Although some people could recharge their electric car once they got to work , if there was a recharging station nearby... [daytime]. plus an electric car with Air conditioning On during Our Hot summers or wipers & Headlamps on in Rain, and driving up steep highway roads would deplete the Batteries much sooner with the high drain from the Batteries. I don't believe there are any 4WD electric vehicles that can tow a caravan , that can replace a PAJERO or PRADO etc..

Yes, ditto. I also live 500 ks. from one daughter, and 200 from the other. Need the air con or heater for both trips add in charging time would take forever to make what used to be a quick trip.
.

 

[Vinylted]

Jenny, I like your definition of a quick trip.. lol ... 2-3 hrs to one daughter and 6hours + for the other. Thus speaks a suburbanite..

 

[Jennie]

Jenny, I like your definition of a quick trip.. lol ... 2-3 hrs to one daughter and 6hours + for the other. Thus speaks a suburbanite..

No, Vinylted, we live in a small Riverina towntown 40 ks North of Wagga. Our daughters live in Albury and Campbelltown. When we lived in Sydney I travelled 40 ks to work and it took up to 1.5 hrs now a 40k trip to Wagga takes 25 mins.

 

[Topher]

IF recharging stations (with ultra-fast charging ports, as Queensland is professing to be installing as part of a "superhighway") are available regularly, and IF overnight lodgings (motels/hotels/caravan parks/ private homes) have installed access to the same (installed in conjunction with/separate from solar) THEN the whole concept of becoming an EV nation may be worth considering.
I gather from various articles that real progress is being made in battery operation for large vehicles and ones requiring towing capabilities (after all, Brisbane City Council bus fleet has some electric buses), so that becomes a real plus - especially as so much of our fuel consumption accelerating large masses (Pajeros, caravans, trailers, etc.) from traffic lights and to highway speed is then wasted every time we apply the brakes - regenerative braking takes care of a fair portion of that!

 

[Topher]

A real consideration in all this "EV or not EV" is the article RACQ recently published about different types of EV. Let's not isolate "pure electric" - battery-only vehicles - from those which have a small ICE unit, which has distinct advantages in being able to assist the electric drive when accelerating or on hills, but which turns off at traffic lights or down hills, allowing the electric unit to recharge the batteries by regenerative braking. (They also would come in VERY handy if the batteries are fully discharged!)
I understand technology is now at the level of taking a car over 500 km on a single charge - I doubt any human would be still driving coherently after 500 km! Ultra-rapid charges apparently take little longer than a normal fuel stop: instead of using a roadside servo for petrol/diesel we would recharge our vehicle while we are eating a snack - fast re-charge with fast food!
Imagine Information stops/tourist stops having recharge points - more incentive for enjoying the country!

 

[Vinylted]

No, Vinylted, we live in a small Riverina towntown 40 ks North of Wagga. Our daughters live in Albury and Campbelltown. When we lived in Sydney I travelled 40 ks to work and it took up to 1.5 hrs now a 40k trip to Wagga takes 25 mins.

Opps sorry but you mentioned 500K's & 200k's respectively........ 40k = 25 mins therefore 200ks 125 mins... But as you say with an electric vehicle most impractical!

 

[Hieme]

A real consideration in all this "EV or not EV" is the article RACQ recently published about different types of EV. Let's not isolate "pure electric" - battery-only vehicles - from those which have a small ICE unit, which has distinct advantages in being able to assist the electric drive when accelerating or on hills, but which turns off at traffic lights or down hills, allowing the electric unit to recharge the batteries by regenerative braking. (They also would come in VERY handy if the batteries are fully discharged!)
I understand technology is now at the level of taking a car over 500 km on a single charge - I doubt any human would be still driving coherently after 500 km! Ultra-rapid charges apparently take little longer than a normal fuel stop: instead of using a roadside servo for petrol/diesel we would recharge our vehicle while we are eating a snack - fast re-charge with fast food!
Imagine Information stops/tourist stops having recharge points - more incentive for enjoying the country!

Yes I read that RACQ report. It made mention of significant decrease in battery mileage in hilly country and/or headwind. So lets put on the headlights and wipers when raining. A recent trip back to the Sunshine Coast from a mates place down the back of the Gold Coast. I left at 4pm. It took 5 hours at about 50kph with headlights and wipers on, plus radio and GPS and a phone charge. EV's will have to well exceed their current fair weather mileage to be anywhere near practical outside urban areas.

 

[Topher]

Yes I read that RACQ report. It made mention of significant decrease in battery mileage in hilly country and/or headwind. So lets put on the headlights and wipers when raining. A recent trip back to the Sunshine Coast from a mates place down the back of the Gold Coast. I left at 4pm. It took 5 hours at about 50kph with headlights and wipers on, plus radio and GPS and a phone charge. EV's will have to well exceed their current fair weather mileage to be anywhere near practical outside urban areas.

Getting there - and let's not forget air conditioning ... or DO forget it!

 

[Topher]

Yes I read that RACQ report. It made mention of significant decrease in battery mileage in hilly country and/or headwind. So lets put on the headlights and wipers when raining. A recent trip back to the Sunshine Coast from a mates place down the back of the Gold Coast. I left at 4pm. It took 5 hours at about 50kph with headlights and wipers on, plus radio and GPS and a phone charge. EV's will have to well exceed their current fair weather mileage to be anywhere near practical outside urban areas.

I used a hybrid hire car in Brisbane - marvellous how little fuel it used ... but then, it was a small car.

 

[Goodbloke]

Well, it looks like I'm not alone in wanting answers, It still appears that EV's are an urban commuter suitable for the majority of people most of the time. And, if you don't live and commute in the 'burbs then EV's are redundant to the large distances to cover in Australia.

Seems sensible to have an electric car as a 2nd car in the city. Also sensible to have a bigger more powerful car for country runs/towing, etc. Also sensible to not get suckered into ScoMo's spin and photo op's that they are creating for him to look faboulous in, in my humble opinion, he and a lot of his "team" should depart without their extended fancy pensions.

 

[Vinylted]

Yes I read that RACQ report. It made mention of significant decrease in battery mileage in hilly country and/or headwind. So lets put on the headlights and wipers when raining. A recent trip back to the Sunshine Coast from a mates place down the back of the Gold Coast. I left at 4pm. It took 5 hours at about 50kph with headlights and wipers on, plus radio and GPS and a phone charge. EV's will have to well exceed their current fair weather mileage to be anywhere near practical outside urban areas.

I totally agree.