Australia has become an outlier in the global light vehicle market, with a comparatively inefficient and anachronistic vehicle fleet. In 2018, the average carbon dioxide (CO2) intensity for new passenger vehicles in Australia was 169.8gCO2/km compared to 129.9gCO2/km in the United States, 120.4gCO2/km in Europe and 114.6gCO2/km in Japan.

Shifting from private passenger vehicle use to zero emissions public transport will help curb Australia’s rising transport emissions. When considering other factors, such as population growth – particularly in urban areas – and the significant non-CO2 pollutant emissions associated with traditional diesel buses, it is clear that electrification of buses should be a central pillar

Global automotive manufacturing is rapidly transitioning to the production of Electric Vehicles (EVs) in line with technological advancements and the global community’s commitment to addressing climate change. This transition presents an enormous opportunity for Australia to rebuild its vehicle manufacturing industry, taking advantage of our competitive strengths in renewable energy, extractive industries, manufacturing capabilities, and

Far from being a national leader in electric vehicle uptake, South Australia is already lagging other States and Territories across the country. While it is true that South Australia is a significantly smaller state than New South Wales, it is also true that the $36.3m in funding that has been offered as part of the

Welcome to the August 2021 issue of the NEEA Report, and apologies for the long delay since the last issue. Because it is nearly five months since our last issue, this new issue starts with an update in the NEEA estimate of changes in Australia’s total energy combustion emissions up to the end of June

In July 2021 The Australia Institute surveyed a representative sample of 599 South Australians. Respondents were asked about electric vehicles (EVs), the government’s proposed Road User Charge (RUC) and potential purchase incentives. Results show that a strong majority of South  Australians agree that EVs are good for the environment and support government efforts to increase the uptake of EVs but would be less likely to switch to an EV if the RUC is introduced.

Budget incentives to increase investment are expensive, poorly targeted and will do little to improve productivity

The federal government can improve Australia’s low electric vehicle uptake through upfront purchase incentives, CO2 emissions standards, a 100% gov fleet target and correcting its own misinformation and modelling.

To address transport emissions, EV adoption is becoming a key component of strategies to reduce carbon pollution. Unfortunately, Australia currently lags behind other countries in EV uptake due to a lack of policies to decarbonise the transport sector and incentivise EV purchases. The South Australia state government says it wants to lead Australia in the

The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of Australians about electric vehicle (EV) policies in January and March of 2021.

The Australia Institute welcomes the opportunity to make a submission on the COAG Reform Fund Amendment (No Electric Vehicle Taxes) Bill 2020 (the No EV Tax Amendment).

Welcome to the January 2021 issue of the NEEA Report, with data relating to electricity in the National Electricity Market updated to the end of November 2020. This includes a short summary of the very important investment initiatives in New South Wales, announced by Minister Matt Kean at the end of November. This issue also

The Australia Institute made a submission on the Federal Government’s Technology Investment Roadmap Discussion Paper.

New research from The Australia Institute has shown that more than half (51%) of South Australians want Adelaide to host a fully electric Formula E Championship race, while just 11% of people oppose the idea.

The Department of the Environment and Energy is conducting a Liquid Fuel Security review and public consultations on the Interim Report. This report is an edited version of The Australia Institute’s submission to that consultation. The Interim Report outlines significant risks to Australia’s transport energy security. Addressing these security risks requires reducing oil consumption and accelerating the transition to electric

The Australia Institute made a submission to the NSW Rail Access Undertaking – Review of the rate of return and remaining mine life – Draft Report (‘Draft Report’). The review assesses aspects of charges that apply to access several rail networks in NSW. Specifically, it considers the rate of return Government-owned RailCorp, can use in

Norway has implemented a suite of policies to boost electric vehicle uptake. These policies should be considered in Australia’s electric vehicle debate.

The Australia Institute asked 661 South Australians a series of questions about electric vehicles.  The Australia Institute conducted a state wide survey of 661 South Australians people 3 August and 15 August 2018, online through Research Now. Results were post-weighted to match South Australian demographics by gender and age, according to 2016 census data.

A special 6-part series of short articles from WA Transport Magazine: Researchers have identified the transportation industry as one of the sectors likely to be most affected by the coming implementation of new technologies: such as self-driving vehicles, artificial intelligence, and automated logistics systems. How will transportation workers fare as these technologies are rolled out, and

Electric vehicles are a very small segment of the Australian automobile market currently, with sales of just over 2000 vehicles last year, in a market with over 1 million annual sales. However technological and policy progress internationally is likely to see the global market grow significantly, with some predicting annual sales of 30 million electric

While electric vehicles are associated with zero emissions it is often said that they are no “cleaner” than the electricity source. It is suggested that electric vehicles using high emissions-intense sources of electricity offer little improvement and may even be worse than internal combustion engine vehicles. This argument is widespread but we argue it is

Workers in all parts of the economy are confronting twin threats from accelerating changes in technology and automation, and the ongoing shift toward more precarious and irregular forms of work — including “gigs” on digital platforms.  The transportation sector is widely acknowledged to be one of the most susceptible to both of these trends.  The

Governments around the world offer incentives to support electric vehicles. Australia does not. This paper examines how we can boost electric vehicle sales – in four proven, low-cost ways. There is a race to transition the world’s massive car fleet to electric vehicles and Australia is falling behind. Technological improvements make electric vehicles more affordable

Around the world, governments are recognising the benefits of wide-scale electric vehicle use and are supporting their uptake through policy.  Thanks to its compact geography, Tasmania would encourage people to purchase electric vehicles by providing even just a handful of public vehicle charging stations. This paper explores two options for providing coverage to a large

This discussion paper outlines two different possible implementations of the Finnish model. The first alternative is a direct translation of the Finnish system and would result in a loss of revenue for the state. The second alternative is a modification of the first to estimate a revenue neutral alternative.

This paper examines how the Finnish model of progressive traffic fines could work in Australia, and estimates the effect on individuals at different income levels.