PM’s new BMW EVs driven to Melbourne for ASEAN leaders

Commonwealth drivers have been instructed to drive taxpayer-funded BMW iX SUV electric vehicles to Melbourne to show-off Labor’s EV fleet.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon greeted by Indonesia President Joko Widodo and Iriana Widodo at the gala dinner of the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta in 2023. Picture: Mast IRHAM/AFP

Commonwealth government drivers have been instructed to drive new taxpayer-funded BMW iX SUV electric vehicles to Melbourne to ferry around ASEAN leaders next week and show off Labor’s EV fleet.

The Australian understands new COMCAR EVs based in ­Adelaide and Canberra will be driven to Melbourne, with drivers from other capital city depots brought in to transport leaders and high-ranking representatives during the three-day ASEAN-Australia special summit.

Anthony Albanese in Cambodia for the ASEAN-Australia and East Asia Summits. Picture: Twitter

COMCAR drivers requested to drive the BMWs to Melbourne have been mapping out routes to ensure they can plug into charging stations along the way. The EV convoy from Adelaide is expected to stop at charging stations with only two or three chargers.

A Finance Department spokeswoman told The Australian “the allocation of COMCAR vehicles used for the ASEAN summit has been completed based on operational need in line with established processes”.

Sources said overflow members of visiting delegations would likely be driven in conventional vehicles.

COMCAR, which maintains fleets in all capital cities, provides car-with-driver services for parliamentarians, the Governor-General, the federal judiciary and international guests of government.

The Albanese government ­announced in May its new COMCAR fleet would consist of BMW iX40 and longer-range iX50 electric vehicles, ranging in price from $130,000 to $170,000.

Amid reports of delays in rolling out chargers at COMCAR ­depots, the government last year said its new EV fleet would be fully implemented by mid-2024. Ahead of the mid-year deadline, the department is still rolling out EVs across the fleet.

Opposition resources spokeswoman Susan McDonald. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

Opposition resources spokeswoman Susan McDonald said “it is clear this government once again has the wrong priorities at a time when people are struggling to make ends meet under Labor’s cost-of-living crisis”.

“The Prime Minister needs to come clean on how much taxpayer money he is spending to try and fool foreign leaders with his fanciful EV policies,” Senator McDonald said.

As of mid-2023, the COMCAR fleet included 92 BMW 620d diesel-powered sedans and 45 Toyota Camry hybrid petrol-powered sedans. Those vehicles were leased in 2020 for three-years.

In a statement last year, the ­Finance Department said “while the introduction of EVs into the COMCAR fleet will initially cost more than that of equivalent ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles, savings in the running costs, including fuel and maintenance are expected”.

After the government launched a review of COMCAR’s future fleet following the 2022 election, 14 EV models were short-listed.

“Nine vehicles were subsequently selected for practical off-road assessments on a closed-circuit track and on-road assessments in routine COMCAR operational scenarios,” the department said. “The vehicles assessed were the BMW iX40, BMW iX3, Polestar 2, Genesis GV60, Genesis GV70, Kia EV6, Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model Y and Hyundai Ioniq 5.

“COMCAR assessed several factors, including battery consumption, charging capability, ­vehicle handling, manoeuvrability and performance, in a variety of traffic conditions, driver and passenger comfort, ease of access for passengers, luggage space and ­potential integration with the COMCAR Automated Resource System.” The BMW iX40 was identified “as the only vehicle that is suitable for all aspects of COMCAR’s operations … for long-range driving conditions, COMCAR will also procure a small number of BMW iX50 SUVs to supplement the new BMW iX40 fleet”.