While most Australians (73 per cent) agree that moving to Electric Vehicles (EVs) is important in the fight against climate change, affordability is the biggest obstacle to EV ownership, especially in the ACT, a new survey has found.
The Savvy survey of 1,000 Australians found that 78 per cent of ACT residents agreed the move to EVs as part of the strategy to keep the global temperature rise to 1.5oC is important.
Despite this, the percentage of Canberrans who believe it’s “very unimportant” is the highest in the country – 17 per cent compared to just four per cent in NSW, Victoria and South Australia.
The biggest barrier for Australians looking to purchase EVs is the price, and almost eight in 10 (79 per cent) of those surveyed said affordability would need to improve before they would consider purchasing one.
The age group most likely to believe EVs are important are those between 35 and 44 years (82 per cent).
Just 60 per cent of over 65-year-olds believe EVs are important, while 8 per cent of them says it’s “very unimportant”.
Savvy managing director Bill Tsouvalas said there is a taste for EVs in Australia, but not everyone is clamouring for one just yet.
“We need an economy of scale and infrastructure before we hit anything nearing critical mass. But there are shoots rising out of the ground, and that’s a good start,” he said.
Only eight per cent of Australians said the Federal Government’s current strategy to increase EV charging stations will “get the job done”.
The $250 million Future Fuels and Vehicles Strategy aims to increase the number of charging stations around the country to 50,000.
“Fifty-three per cent say that [the Strategy] should make some improvement and 38 per cent say it doesn’t do enough. There needs to be a push from industry and government to really make the case that EV is the future in terms of the environment and the hip-pocket,” Mr Tsouvalas said.
Get all the latest Canberra news, sport, entertainment, lifestyle, competitions and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Canberra Daily Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.
