The latest car sales figures reveal electric vehicle sales have overtaken those of petrol-driven cars in the medium-sized car category for the first time.
So say the Australian Automobile Association which adds its EV Index shows that in the first three months of this year 58.29% of new medium-sized cars sold in Australia were battery electric vehicles (BEVs).
Australians bought 7866 BEV medium-sized cars in the first quarter – up from 2988 in the previous quarter, while BEV sales in the large car category more than quadrupled over the past quarter.
Total BEV large car sales rose from 69 to 313, and sales penetration (the portion of total vehicle sales) climbed from 7.49% to 22.14%, says the AAA.
Internal combustion engines (ICE) still dominate light vehicle sales in all categories other than medium cars. But the EV Index shows that for the first time, quarterly BEV sales exceeded the sale of conventional petrol hybrids nationally – 17,396 compared with 16,101. (While BEVs dominated new medium car sales, hybrids still outsold BEVS in the small car category and in all SUV categories).
When compared to the final quarter of 2022, sales of new BEVs in all categories rose by 49.46% across Australia, says the AAA, adding sales rose in every state except Victoria (which had led the country in the previous quarter).
BEV national sales penetration rose from 4.54% in Q4 2022 to 6.77% in Q1 2023.
Although Victoria’s BEV sales fell, BEV sales penetration increased in that state as light vehicle sales fell across all categories, says the AAA.
The figures come just a day after the Federal Government released its National EV Strategy, including plans for a fuel efficiency standard, which the AAA commented on.
AAA managing director Michael Bradley says the acceleration of EV take-up revealed in these new figures underlines the need for this blueprint for change to reduce carbon emissions at least cost to the motoring public.
“The shift is on,’’ he says.
“We encourage political parties to work together to put all Australians in the best possible position to adopt low and zero emissions technologies that best suit their lifestyles, household budgets and consumer needs.
“We need collaborative national leadership to manage our environmental challenges, maintain consumer choice, and ensure we can sustainably pay for safer and less congested roads.’’
The AAA’s EV Index, launched in March, is an online dashboard that brings together seven different data sets showing the technical transition of Australia’s light vehicle fleet.
The EV Index shows how many EVs are being sold, which models are attracting consumer attention, the geographic distribution of EV registrations, vehicle specifications, and international list prices of 26 representative vehicle models.
The AAA has designed the EV Index as a tool to provide what it says is unbiased, credible, and up-to-date data on EV options and patterns of take-up.
