Plan to make Aussie roads for EVs only

Cars with traditional combustion engines could be banned from Aussie roads within years if a major national lobby group has its way.

A powerful new push by the country’s top scientists could see every Aussie driver behind the wheel of an electric vehicle (EV) within a few years, if the government is willing to pull the trigger.

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) has released a new report urging the Federal Government to drastically cut diesel use across the board.

The report targets diesel consumption in high-emission industries like trucking, mining, agriculture and fishing. But it’s not just about big business – for drivers, the death of diesel could bring big changes at the bowser and beyond.

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Majority of Aussies could be switching to EVs in the next couple of years. Picture: Brendan Radke

ATSE Fellow Professor Ken Baldwin agrees that Australia’s EV infrastructure rollout is disappointing, leaving the country lagging behind the rest of the world. He believes the real key to accelerating the transition is giving Aussies confidence that electric cars will work for their daily lives.

“When that happens and everyone can guarantee they can get a charge wherever they go, we’ll see a complete shift in a very, very short period of time, a few years, and everyone will be driving electric vehicles,” he says.

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Diesel combustion contributes approximately 17 per cent of Australia’s total carbon emissions. Picture: Brendan Radke

Baldwin points to Europe, where charging stations are everywhere.

“You go to the UK, Scandinavian countries, mainland Europe, every other street has a charging station. People in Europe don’t have range anxiety.”

He even suggests financial measures to force EV uptake.

“If we had a price on carbon, then we wouldn’t have nearly the same financial disincentive to shift to electric vehicles, because fuel would be so expensive. So, there are a whole range of things that need to happen.”

Australia is still lacking EV infrastructure. Picture: AFP

The report targets diesel consumption in high-emission industries like trucking, mining, agriculture and fishing. Picture: Bloomberg

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The report recommends phasing out or reforming the fuel tax credit scheme which subsidises diesel use, protects high-emitting sectors from the true cost of fossil fuel consumption and undermines national emissions reduction goals.

Taxpayers forked out $10.2 billion last financial year alone – it’s one of the largest expenses in the Federal Government’s budget.

Aussie roads could be EV only in the future. Picture: Mark Bean

Adding to that, the report reveals that diesel combustion contributes approximately 17 per cent of Australia’s total carbon emissions.

But cost and perception still stand in the way of EV uptake. Many Aussies see them as expensive or less capable, especially for towing and long-distance driving. The cheapest new EVs start at around $30,000.

Baldwin says Aussies don’t drive as far as we think we do.

“More than 95 per cent of vehicle usage is very short distance. Very few people actually drive from Sydney to Melbourne or even further.”

41,000 new EVs have been sold across the country. Picture: AFP

Despite that roadblock, figures from the Australian Automobile Association are positive – around 41,000 new EVs were sold across the country in Q2 2025 – that’s around 13 per cent of all new car sales for the quarter, up 37 per cent on the previous year.

So, if we did all move to electric, what would happen to the countless petrol and diesel cars?

“The circular economy is the way of the future and there’s a lot of embedded energy in the steel, the aluminium and other elements that go into cars … all of this can be recycled,” Baldwin says.

Originally published as Plan to make Aussie roads for EVs only