Canberrans who buy an electric vehicle can now register for free for two years to get more zero-emission cars on the road.
Canberrans who buy a new or used zero-emission vehicle between now and mid-2024 can register for free.
Vehicles that have been converted to electric and certified can also be saved – valued at up to $ 1,200.
Zero emissions vehicles are also exempt from stamp duty on motor vehicles, and ACT chief Andrew Barr said the combined savings would help bridge the price gap between electric vehicles and gasoline-powered cars.
“The combined savings on registration and stamp duty can add up to 4 to 5 percent of vehicle costs, which is a significant saving for the consumer,” he said.
“We are the city with the greatest support for electric vehicles in Australia and I think this new initiative will further accelerate adoption of these zero-emission vehicles.”
There are nearly 1,000 electric vehicles registered in the area, and Mr Barr said he expected the new incentives to see more electric vehicles in showrooms soon.
“We can expect the number of vehicles and types of vehicles coming onto the market to grow rapidly,” he said.
“The number of models available will explode from dozens to hundreds.
“The price [of an EV] will keep falling, and we’re trying to speed up this uptake. “
The ACT government also offers interest-free loans for the purchase of zero-emission vehicles.
The ACT government plans to introduce an additional 50 charging stations across Canberra. (
ABC News: Matt Roberts
)
Further charging stations to combat fear of range
The Territorial Government is also trying to address “range anxiety” among budding EV drivers who are concerned about the lack of charging stations.
Mr Barr said that 50 more charging points would be rolled out across Canberra over the next 12 months, and he expected that number to grow to hundreds over the next five years.
“The planning code is currently being changed to require EV charging points in new apartment buildings,” he said.
“We could go the regulatory route and ultimately try to require that every gas station has EV charging points.”
ACT Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Shane Rattenbury says it is an “absolute necessity” to get people into zero-emission vehicles. (
ABC News: Matt Roberts
)
With some automakers planning to stop producing gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035, ACT Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Shane Rattenbury said electric vehicles are simply the “future of the automobile.”
“ACT now has 60 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions from traffic. This underscores the absolute need to get this job done and get people into zero-emission vehicles,” he said.
“In the 100 percent renewable electricity ACT, when you charge your car, you know you are getting it from a clean source and your car is truly a zero-emission vehicle.”
Mr Rattenbury said more federal government action was needed to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles.
“The government leadership is helping the industry get started,” he said.
“The federal government could play a tremendous role, but so far they have actually been almost actively preventing people from adopting electric vehicles.”
Mr. Rattenbury urged his federal and state colleagues to follow ACT’s lead and convert their public vehicle fleets.
“We now have more than 140 zero-emission vehicles in the ACT government fleet. We know this is the largest zero-emission fleet in Australia,” he said.
