Almost half of all Australian drivers are willing to replace their petrol car with an electric vehicle and two in three consider the technology the future of transportation, a new study has found.
But despite growing enthusiasm for electric vehicles in Australia some issues are causing motorists to pause purchases, including the high price of the cars and concerns about the availability of charging stations.
The findings, from a survey commissioned by automaker BMW, arrive on World Environment Day and one week after consultation closed on a fuel-efficiency standard that is expected to be introduced to Australia later this year.
The policy would set a limit on vehicle pollution from each car maker’s fleet, encouraging companies to bring more low and zero-emission vehicles into the country.
The survey of more than 1000 Australian motorists identified rising enthusiasm for electric vehicles, with 48 per cent saying they would consider buying a battery-powered vehicle.
Most drivers also said they expected electric cars to take over from petrol and diesel vehicles in the future, and while 50 per cent expected to own a fossil fuel vehicle in 2025, only eight per cent thought they would still own one by 2040.
The findings reflect some submissions to the fuel-efficiency standard, with groups including the Climate Council and Climate and Health Alliance calling for a ban on sales of petrol and diesel vehicles in Australia by 2035.
BMW’s study did identify potential speed bumps to electric vehicle adoption, however, with the price of new electric cars leading concerns among participants, followed by questions about the country’s charging infrastructure.
Fewer than one in three people surveyed could identify the charging station nearest their home and even fewer knew the location of a vehicle-charging station near their workplace.
The study’s release came as the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries revealed electric vehicles made up 7.7 per cent of all new car sales in Australia during May, bringing total sales to seven per cent of new vehicles this year.
The figure is almost double their market share in 2022, when electric cars made up 3.8 per cent of new car sales.
BMW revealed sales of its electric BMW and Mini vehicles had more than doubled and tripled in Australia during the first three months of the year, with sales up 112 and 213 per cent compared to last year.
But local electric car sales continued to be dominated by Tesla and BYD, with Tesla’s Model 3 becoming the third most popular vehicle in Australia during May, behind utes from Toyota and Ford.
