The Australian government announced on Friday that it will adopt new restrictions aimed at reducing carbon emissions from vehicles in a bid to catch up with other advanced economies.
According to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, only 2% of cars purchased in Australia are electric cars, compared to 17% in Europe and 15% in Great Britain. The state risks becoming a warehouse for cars that cannot be bought elsewhere.
Only Russia and Australia, within the OECD, do not have or are developing fuel economic regulations, which encourages automakers to produce more zero-emissions electric cars.
At a seminar on electric cars in Canberra, Bowen said: “The policies also limit the ability to offer Australians a real choice of good, zero-emissions cars at affordable prices.”
In September, the government will publish a discussion paper looking for suggestions to stimulate the adoption of electric vehicles, improve their accessibility and explore possibilities for fuel efficiency regulation.
According to Bowen, only eight electric cars are currently offered in Australia priced under A$60,000 ($41,450), compared to 26 in Britain.
The increase in emissions follows the victory of the central Labor government, led by Anthony Albanese, who won the May elections on the basis of a program to reform the country’s climate policy to align with the policies of other developed countries.
Scott Morrison, the former prime minister, said in 2019 that efforts to reduce vehicle emissions would “kill the weekend,” while other critics argue that electric vehicles will eliminate popular pickups, or yotes, used by farmers and builders. .
In addition to raising the Australian goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions to 43% compared to 2005 levels, Albanese promised tax breaks for electric vehicles.
Australia needs to catch up with the rest of the world as soon as possible, according to Tesla chief Robyn Denholm, who attended a roundtable at the summit.
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