Australian Electric Vehicles Sales Surge by 65 Percent in a Year

The Tesla electric car charging station in the car park at The Star Casino in Pyrmont in Sydney, Australia on April 14, 2015. Ben Rushton/Getty Images

The sales of electric cars in Australia have soared by 65 percent in the past 12 months, with Tesla continuing to dominate the market.

According to the State of Electric Vehicles (EVs) report, which analysed sales figures and state and federal government policies, the number of fast and ultra-fast vehicle charger locations in the country has jumped by 22 percent since 2021.

In addition, electric car sales now accounted for 3.39 percent of all new cars, up from two percent in September 2021.

EV Council policy head Jake Whitehead said while the increase was significant, Australia was still far behind other countries in the transport transition.

“It’s great to see so much momentum behind EV sales in Australia, but to put our 3.4 percent in context–Germany sits at 26 percent, the UK at 19 percent, and California at 13 percent. The global average is 8.6 percent so Australia has a long, long way to come,” he said.

In terms of EV sales, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) ranked first among the jurisdictions, with electric cars representing 9.5 percent of all new car sales, followed by New South Wales (NSW) at 3.7 percent, Victoria at 3.4 percent, Queensland and Tasmania at 3.3 percent and the Northern Territory at 0.8 percent.

On the EV initiatives and incentives scale, the council gave both the ACT and NSW eight out of 10 points, followed by the federal government with seven points and Queensland with six.

A Tesla Model Y charges at a EV charge station in Sydney, Australia, on Jan. 19, 2021. Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

Despite the incentives provided by the federal and state governments, Whitehead said a lack of supply and fuel standards was the most significant barrier that impeded EV sales in Australia.

“We’re seeing a lot of strong demand,” he said.

“New models have come onto the market, but they’re in small numbers. So they’re being sold out sometimes in just a few minutes, and then people have to wait really long periods to get the vehicle they want.

“That’s because other markets have a fuel-efficiency standard, and they are prioritised at the beginning of the queue, and we continue to be at the back of the queue.”

Tesla Continues to Dominate the Australian EV Market

Meanwhile, the report found that a third of the 26,000 EVs sold in Australia between January and September 2022 were Tesla Model 3.

Demand for Tesla cars remained strong, with Model Y becoming the second-biggest-selling electric vehicle in Australia in 2022 despite being released for sale in August.

MG, Lexus and Hyundai are also popular EV brands purchased by Australians during the year.

While more Australian motorists are opting for the new car technology, energy experts have warned that EVs could open the door to cyber-attacks and render the country vulnerable to widespread power outages.

They called on the federal government to take early action to prevent devastating outcomes to the national power grid.