Queensland has the stingiest incentives of any Australian state or territory for encouraging electric vehicles, according to advocacy group Solar Citizens.
“It’s a real missed opportunity because Queenslanders love their solar and if you can charge your electric car off your own solar panels you can really bring your transport costs down,” spokeswoman Ellen Roberts told AAP.
The Sunshine State offers registration and stamp duty savings of about $350 over five years and the Palaszczuk government is currently working on a ten-year zero emissions vehicle strategy.
That’s compared to NSW, South Australia and Victoria, which offer $3000 rebates for EV purchases.
Ms Roberts believes NSW offers the best set-up, with a $490 million budget for EV rollout, compared to Queensland’s $2.75 million budget for charging infrastructure.
There are different EV incentives and taxes across Australia.
The federal government released a Future Fuels Strategy discussion paper in February and it’s expected the final strategy, including a policy on electric vehicles, will be released shortly.
On Tuesday, Energy Minister Angus Taylor issued the second of the government’s low emissions technology statements at the COP26 summit in Glasgow, announcing a goal of producing solar electricity at a third of today’s costs.
It’s expected a third statement will include addressing electric vehicle uptake.
Ms Roberts said big rebates for EV purchases seem to work best in encouraging growth in the sector, with a jump in sales each time a rebate is offered.
A recent Australia Institute poll of 2600 Australians showed 71 per cent support of subsidies for EV purchases, while 74 per cent said the government should pay for a network of charging stations.
The Climate of the Nation poll found 64 per cent of respondents want all new cars sold in Australia to be required to be zero emissions by 2035.
