In Australia, sales of new automobiles in 2020 included 0.8 percent electric vehicles. They represented more than 2% of the market in the year’s first quarter. The Covid-19 lockdown in Shanghai caused the second quarter of 2022 to perform poorly, but the second half of 2022 appears to have a rocket under it. Tesla Model 3s have made up the great bulk of EVs sold in Australia. But now that the Y is here, the order books are all filled. The Australian market for electric vehicles appears to be poised for explosive growth.
We currently have more than 26,500 Teslas on Australian roads, and the momentum is there, Tesla Chairwoman Robyn Denholm remarked at the recent Australian Clean Energy Summit in Sydney.
By the end of the year, I wouldn’t be shocked if that number doubled, she added.
Over 20,000 Model Ys may have been ordered and will be delivered by the end of the year, according to speculation sparked by her remarks. Undoubtedly, the number of used Model 3s for sale has grown quickly, and the various Tesla stores have seen a lot of demand.
Tesla isn’t the only company increasing its exports to Australia. The BYD Atto3 is still on schedule to produce a significant number of cars by the end of the year, despite the delay. Even though they are releasing their cars in far fewer quantities, other automakers will nonetheless contribute to the total. MG, Hyundai, BMW, Volvo, and Kia all participate in the expansion. Not to be overlooked is the Polestar 2.
The surge in electric car sales that will hit Australia’s shores will increase the need for greening the grid, expanding the charging network, and looking into a fuel emissions policy.
Denholm cited New Zealand as an excellent case study for legislation that promoted the adoption of more electric vehicles. Recently, she noted, New Zealand enacted two wonderful legislation after being in a situation quite similar to that of Australia. The first, which has been in place for a little over a year, is the clean car discount program. Furthermore, sales of EVs have almost tripled. The second is reasonable fuel economy regulations, which will take effect in full the following year. And within six years, we’ll watch them catch up to Europe and other markets.
When a few months have passed, I can’t wait to review the numbers.
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