It needs to be made easier, not harder.
Across Australia, a quiet but measurable shift is underway in how people relate to the automobile — not merely as transport, but as a statement about the future. In the first half of 2021, Australians purchased more electric vehicles than in all of the previous year, yet the nation still trails its peers in the developed world, held back by high prices, sparse charging networks, and a policy environment that has yet to fully commit to the transition. The tension between genuine consumer enthusiasm and structural constraint is the defining story of Australian electrification — a story whose resolution depends less on technology than on political will.
- EV sales more than doubled in just six months, signalling that consumer appetite is outpacing the infrastructure and policy frameworks meant to support it.
- Range anxiety is not merely a feeling — it is a daily logistical reality for early adopters who must plan every long journey around the location of charging stations.
- Australia stands almost alone among developed nations in lacking emissions standards that penalise manufacturers for selling too few fuel-efficient vehicles, meaning the newest and cheapest EV models go elsewhere first.
- The Federal Government's Future Fuels strategy invested in charging infrastructure but stopped short of purchase subsidies, leaving a gap that industry leaders say is critical to closing the price barrier.
- Experts believe that with the right policy levers — rebates, emissions standards, and the removal of existing disincentives — the timeline to EVs comprising half of new car sales could compress from a decade to far less.
Noel McIntosh has driven a 1913 Rolls Royce across Australia and piloted vintage cars from London to Vladivostok. His garage still holds a 1936 Riley and a 1937 Bentley. But the car he drives most today is electric — regularly making the Sydney to Melbourne run with four charging stops along the way. McIntosh, a former mechanical engineer, is part of a growing cohort of Australians who have crossed over, drawn by technology, environmental conviction, or simply the sense that this is where the road leads.
In the first six months of 2021, more than 8,600 electric vehicles were sold in Australia — already surpassing the entire 2020 total. Yet despite the momentum, Australia lags well behind comparable nations. Industry figures identify three core obstacles: a limited range of available models, vehicle prices that remain out of reach for most buyers, and a charging network too sparse to ease the anxiety of longer journeys. Melbourne resident Lena, who bought her first EV just weeks before speaking to the ABC, described the careful trip planning required before her home charger was even installed.
The Federal Government announced its Future Fuels strategy during this period, committing new investment to charging infrastructure — but declining to offer purchase subsidies. Marty Andrews of Chargefox, Australia's largest charging network, argues that tax relief or rebates are essential. Professor Renate Egan of UNSW takes a more structural view: subsidies matter less than removing the disincentives that make EVs artificially expensive. What will truly unlock the market, she believes, is the arrival of models priced between $20,000 and $30,000.
The competitive disadvantage is stark. Nearly every developed nation except Australia and Russia imposes penalties on manufacturers that fail to sell sufficient fuel-efficient vehicles — a mechanism that drives innovation and directs the newest, most affordable models to those markets first. Australia, without such standards, waits at the back of the queue. Egan estimates a decade before EVs represent half of new car sales without intervention; with the right policy settings, that window could close much sooner.
And then there is the unexpected frontier McIntosh is watching with particular interest: the retrofitting of classic cars with electric powertrains. The financier who bought his vintage Rolls Royce told him plainly that if the engine failed, he'd simply put an EV in its place. Restoring a traditional engine on a 1937 Bentley costs around $50,000 and requires one of only four or five specialists in the country, each booked two years out. An electric conversion at $30,000 would be far more accessible. McIntosh believes the old machines may yet find new life — not despite the electric future, but because of it.
Noel McIntosh has spent a lifetime chasing the open road. He's driven a 1913 Rolls Royce across Australia. He's piloted vintage cars from London to Vladivostok. His garage holds a 1936 Riley and a 1937 Bentley—machines that represent decades of automotive craftsmanship. But these days, the pride of place belongs to something altogether different: an electric vehicle that he regularly drives between Sydney and Melbourne, stopping to charge roughly four times along the way.
McIntosh, a former mechanical engineer, represents a quiet shift happening across Australia. In the first six months of 2021, Australians bought more than 8,600 electric vehicles—a number that already exceeded the entire total for 2020. The surge is real, and it's driven by people like McIntosh and Lena, a Melbourne resident who purchased her first EV just three weeks before speaking to the ABC. For McIntosh, the appeal was partly technological: he and his wife, both computer enthusiasts, were drawn to the Tesla as a hybrid of machine and software. For Lena, the calculus was environmental. "The cars of the future are going to be like this," she said. "So I thought, why not try it?"
Yet even as sales climb, Australia's EV adoption lags significantly behind other developed nations. The barriers are well understood by those in the industry. Marty Andrews, chief executive of Chargefox, Australia's largest EV charging network, identifies three fundamental obstacles: the limited range of models available to consumers, the high cost of the vehicles themselves, and the sparse infrastructure for charging on longer journeys. That last problem has earned a name—"range anxiety"—and it's a genuine constraint. Lena acknowledged the difficulty: she has to plan her trips carefully, ensuring sufficient battery charge, and until her home charger is installed, she must rely on public stations near shopping centers.
The Federal Government's Future Fuels strategy, announced in the week before this reporting, committed additional investment to charging infrastructure. But it notably excluded subsidies for electric vehicle purchases—a gap that Andrews and others say should be addressed. He suggests tax relief, rebates, or emissions standards that would pressure manufacturers to balance their combustion engine sales with electric alternatives. Professor Renate Egan from the University of New South Wales Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics takes a different view. She's skeptical that subsidies alone will move the needle, but she's convinced that removing disincentives—such as taxes that make EVs less attractive—is essential. "It needs to be made easier, not harder," she said. What will truly drive mass adoption, Egan argues, is the arrival of affordable models in the $20,000 to $30,000 range.
The industry landscape reveals both momentum and constraint. Toyota sold 50,000 hybrid vehicles in 2020 and has moved 220,000 hybrid-electric cars in Australia since introducing them. The company plans to expand its local EV range by 2025 and has signaled openness to government incentives. Yet Beyhad Jafari from the Electric Vehicle Council points to a structural problem: everywhere in the developed world except Australia and Russia, car manufacturers face penalties if they fail to sell sufficient fuel-efficient or electric vehicles. Those penalty regimes drive innovation and lower prices. Countries with supportive policies receive the newest, cheapest models first. Australia waits.
Egan estimates that without policy intervention, it will take roughly a decade before half of new car sales are electric. With targeted incentives and market drivers, that timeline could compress significantly. The mechanism is straightforward: as the EV market reaches critical mass, more manufacturers will enter, competition will intensify, and prices will fall. Tightening emissions standards for traditional combustion engines, opening the EV market to more models, and removing existing disincentives could all accelerate the process.
Meanwhile, an unexpected frontier is opening. McIntosh, who sold his vintage Rolls Royce earlier this year to a young financier, is watching a new trend emerge: retrofitting classic cars with electric powertrains. The financier told him plainly that if the engine failed, he'd simply install an EV in its place. For vintage car enthusiasts, this could be transformative. Restoring a traditional engine on a 1937 Bentley costs roughly $50,000 and requires one of only four or five specialists in Australia, each with a two-year waiting list. An EV conversion at $30,000 would be far more accessible. McIntosh believes that within five years, few vintage car owners will choose to scrap their vehicles if conversion becomes viable. The old machines, it seems, may yet find new life.
Citas Notables
There are three reasons why EV uptake has been slow in Australia: the choice of models for consumers, the price of the vehicles, and a lack of infrastructure for EV owners to charge on the road.— Marty Andrews, chief executive of Chargefox
Everywhere else in the developed world, except Australia and Russia, car companies face penalties if they don't sell enough fuel-efficient or electric vehicles. Those countries with positive policies receive the newest cars first. Australian consumers are left waiting.— Beyhad Jafari, Electric Vehicle Council
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does Noel McIntosh matter to this story? He's just one person with an electric car.
He's not just a buyer—he's a signal. A man who's spent his life with mechanical engines, who understands cars deeply, has chosen an EV. That credibility matters. He's not an environmentalist preaching; he's a pragmatist who drives between cities regularly and it works for him.
But the numbers show Australia is still way behind other countries. What's actually holding people back?
Three things, and they're interconnected. First, there aren't many models to choose from. Second, they're expensive—often $60,000 or more. Third, you can't reliably charge them outside cities. Each problem makes the others worse. You won't buy an expensive car if you're anxious about charging.
The government announced a strategy but didn't include subsidies. Why is that controversial?
Because subsidies work. They've worked everywhere else. But Australia's government chose to invest in infrastructure instead, betting that charging networks matter more than price cuts. Some experts agree; others think you need both.
What would actually change the market?
Two things converging. First, cheaper models—real ones, under $30,000. Second, emissions standards that force manufacturers to sell EVs or face penalties. Right now, car companies send their cheapest, newest electric cars to Europe and China because those markets have penalties. Australia gets what's left.
So it's a waiting game?
Not entirely. It could accelerate if policy changes. But yes, without intervention, it's probably ten years before half of new cars are electric. With the right moves, maybe five or six.
What surprised you most in this story?
The vintage car angle. People are already retrofitting classic cars with electric motors. That's not a niche—that's the future of those machines. It suggests the EV transition isn't just about new cars; it's about reimagining what we already have.