Federal Minister for Energy Chris Bowen said more than 500 submissions on the National Electric Vehicle Strategy had been received, representing more than 200 organisations.
“Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to have your say. The Government will be working through these closely over coming weeks and months,” he said on twitter mid-November.
Earlier in November, I asked Bowen, when we might hear more on the development of the strategy, for example, a green light for a fuel efficiency standard to bring Australia’s policies into line with those of the US and Europe to ensure we’re not last in line for supply by car makers.
He said he couldn’t say, adding it won’t be next week. “Will it be a year?” I asked. No, it won’t be that long, he said, it will be somewhere in between.
Meanwhile, his government is prioritising the work to prepare an EV Strategy so early in its term has put a pep in the step of everyone in the Australian EV circles.
“We appreciate the new government really leaning in and making EV one of its first policy moves,” said Joe Sofra, CEO of last mile delivery group ANC. “I think that’s very insightful and very beneficial.” Sofra was introducing Bowen as a guest speaker to an audience of EV industry representatives at an event to announce ANC’s partnering with ORIX Australia Corp., a leasing, rental and fleet management group, to finance EVs for its fleet of delivery vehicles.
Bowen acknowledged the government’s role, to set the framework and provide the leadership. He said the passing of the Climate Change Act, the first climate legislation in Australia in more than a decade, was a signal to investors around the world that Australia is now prioritising renewables. He noted there is only some 85 months until the year 2030, the year the Government has marked for reaching an emissions reduction target of 43 percent.
“The new government does believe that electric vehicles have a very important role to play in our transport system going forward, and we want to provide that framework, that encouragement for a much more rapid transition towards EVs,” said Bowen.
“This is the most significant change to our economy since the war.”
The Hon Chris Bowen MP
Bowen noted the acceleration in EV sales in recent months, but acknowledged what everyone in the room knew — that Australia’s EV adoption rate is underwhelming.
“We are way, way, way behind the international benchmarks, best practice, or average, or you take your pick, we’re at the bottom of the ladder,” Bowen told participants who included Reggie Cabbal ORIX CEO, and Mirja Viinanen, IKEA CEO, and people from SEA Electric, and the Electric Vehicle Council, and Macquarie Bank, and LDV, and Arena, and Amazon, and Woolworths, and Foton, and many more.
“You have elected us so that’s going to turn around. But, because we’re walking out onto the pitch late, our required run rate is much higher. To catch up with the rest of the world we have to do more and do it more quickly. And that’s what we’re all about. And that’s what you’re doing here today.”
And, just as corporate Australia has been begging the government, Bowen urged back, “Let’s do it faster.”
