New South Wales Treasurer Matt Kean has taken a blow on the Morrison government’s new electric vehicle policy when he revealed additional funding that dwarfs his state’s investments and federal commitment.
On Wednesday, the day after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced $ 178 million in new funding for a future fuel fund to build charging stations across Australia, Kean announced another $ 105 million.
The money comes in addition to 490 million
The auction-style initiative, which opens in late November, encourages operators who buy at least 10 vehicles at a time to submit the incentive amount they need to buy a suitable electric vehicle.
The Perrottet government would then cover the difference between the cost of electric vehicles and comparable vehicles with internal combustion engines.
Kean said about 50% of new car sales in the state are fleet sales – used by taxi companies, riders, communities, and other organizations – and traditionally resold within three to four years of purchase.
As a result, Kean said he expected the initiative to sell more electric vehicles than used cars and make more affordable options more widely available.
Electric Vehicle Council CEO Behyad Jafari, who appeared with Kean at the announcement, said he hoped electric vehicles sold by fleet operators would “flood” the used market in the years to come.
NSW’s investment in promoting electric vehicle adoption is $ 595 million, while the federal government has announced it will spend $ 250 million across all states and territories – including the $ 178 million funding announced on Tuesday.
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Kean has also confirmed that the NSW government has signed a United Nations COP26 statement calling for countries and automakers to move to zero-emission cars by 2040. Kean believes that by 2030 half of all new car sales in NSW will be electric vehicles.
In assessing the federal government’s plan, Kean welcomed the initiatives but said that “there is obviously a lot more they can do”.
“This is a revolution that is coming whether Barnaby Joyce likes it or not. The reality is that the right-wing auto markets are switching to electric, ”he said.
In an interview with ABCs 7:30 am Tuesday, Kean said the Morrison administration’s policies have ignored several issues, noting that “the funding they have put on the table doesn’t even match the funding they are having we have only provided here for “the state of NSW”.
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“We think the federal government’s initiatives are good, but they can go much further. I would encourage the federal government to look into things like direct support for people who want to buy an electric vehicle. “
“There are a number of taxes and fees that could be waived to make electric vehicles more accessible to families and businesses across the country.”
Kean also said, “The greatest thing the federal government can do is deal with the issue of fuel standards.”
“Australia has some of the worst fuel standards in the world. Our fuel standards are worse than China and they are worse than India, and that means Australia is becoming a dump for the vehicles the rest of the world doesn’t want.
“Not only is it bad for the environment, but it also means consumers have less choice and pay more at the Bowser. That’s not acceptable, ”said Kean.
“You can’t sit by and hope for the best. You need to put the guidelines in place and demonstrate the leadership that is required to bring this technology to scale on a large scale. “
Kean also referred to Morrison’s change of tone on electric vehicles, from claiming that then Labor chief Bill Shorten’s policies would “end” the weekend before the 2019 election to appearing to embrace the technology on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Kean said, “Not only do we believe electric vehicles will revolutionize the weekend, we believe they will revolutionize every day of the week.”
Kean also reiterated that electric vehicles had now been granted special permission to drive on transit lanes in NSW as a further incentive to spread.
