Kean: NSW to be the best place to buy and drive an electric vehicle

NSW’s Treasurer and Environment Minister says the state has the most comprehensive suite of policies for the EV revolution anywhere in the country.

Australians love their cars. From young adults saving to buy their first to retirees hitting the road to explore our country, we love to travel and it’s central to our way of life.

In the coming decades advances in technology and a shift by the world’s major car manufacturers to electric vehicle (EV) production, mean we are on the cusp of a driving revolution.

Electric vehicles improve our air quality, are quiet to drive, cheap to run and fun to drive. By 2030, which is little more than eight years away, we expect at least 50 per cent of all new car sales in NSW will be electric. That means a child born today will probably learn to drive in an electric vehicle. EV’s are the future and there is every reason to accelerate towards it.

‘Range anxiety will be a thing of the past with new charging infrastructure coming online’

In NSW we have the most comprehensive suite of policies for the EV revolution anywhere in the country.

We are waiving stamp duty on any electric vehicle purchase under $78,000 and providing $3000 rebates for the first 25,000 purchasers of battery and hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles under $68,750.

Range anxiety will be a thing of the past with new charging infrastructure coming online and job opportunities secured for an army of electrical tradies.

High-density residential areas will live no more than 5km from an ultra-fast charging station and there will be chargers every 5km along metropolitan commuter corridors. These chargers can charge up to 400km in 15 minutes.

In the regions we plan to have dedicated EV tourism routes as well as chargers at tourism destinations such as hotels, restaurants and other attractions at regular intervals on major highways.

New buildings will have charger-ready electrical infrastructure in car parking spots and we’ll help owners and building managers to retrofit existing buildings.

‘EV’s play a critical role in halving our emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050’

We’ve announced $105m worth of new incentives to drive up EV purchases for commercial and council fleets, and plans to electrify the NSW government’s own fleet. We know that fleets are turned over quickly and help supply a second hand market. We are deferring new road user charges until 2027 or when EV uptake reaches 30 per cent.

Transport makes up 20 per cent of NSW carbon emissions, with almost 50 per cent of those from passenger vehicles.

EV’s play a critical role in halving our emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

As we pull out of the pandemic, investments in renewable generation and in charging infrastructure will help to ensure our economy recovers.

Our plan is simple: we want NSW to be the best place in Australia to buy and drive an electric vehicle and this is what we are doing.

Matt Kean is the NSW Treasurer and Energy and Environment Minister.