Questions raised after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announces electric vehicle subsidy

Queenslanders were left confused after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s electric vehicle subsidy announcement on Wednesday.

Queensland’s electric vehicle subsidy has received a frosty response from the public following its announcement on Wednesday.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk revealed the State Government would from July 1 subsidise electric vehicles worth up to $58,000 by $3000, but not everyone has welcomed the news.

The subsidy will be applicable across six models available to Queenslanders from manufacturers including Hyundai, Kia, MG, Mini and Nissan.

Many have since argued however, the $3000 discount off a car worth almost $60,000 was unlikely to benefit the people it was designed for.

Ms Palaszczuk claimed the scheme would make “electric vehicles more affordable and accessible for more Queenslanders” in a tweet of the announcement.

“We’re also committing $10 million to build more public charging stations, with new stations jointly-funded with local government and private sector,” she said.

Ms Palaszczuk claimed the scheme would “help Queenslanders waiting for electric vehicles to become more accessible and affordable so they can make the switch.”

The announcement left a few questions unanswered, with many left wondering how the State Government came up with the cut-off price and subsidy value.

Questions have been raised following the announcement of Queensland’s $3000 electric vehicle subsidy. Picture: Nissan Australia

“Why a $58,000 cut off? Base price Tesla is $66,000. Why are they excluded?” one person asked.

Someone else questioned the Premier’s suggestion the subsidy would make the cars “more affordable”.

“’More affordable’. Someone that can’t afford a $58,000 car can’t afford a $55,000 car. Who is this for, exactly?” they wrote.

Others argued that while it was “good news”, it was unlikely the subsidy would do much for people who couldn’t afford an expensive new car.

“That’s good news Anna, but unfortunately I can’t afford a $55,000 car,” one wrote.

“It’s a good start but unfortunately this $3000 will just subsidise the cost for those who can already afford one. Needs to be $10k at least to make a small difference in the choice of petrol vs electric for most people. Most cars are double the cost for a full electric version,” another said.

We’re making electric vehicles more affordable and accessible for more Queenslanders.

From 1 July, we will provide a $3,000 subsidy for anyone buying an electric vehicle to the value of $58,000 – that means subsidies will apply to six models currently available in Queensland.

— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) March 15, 2022

Others were confused over why popular electric car manufacturer Tesla had been left out of the scheme, with its cheapest model starting at $66,000.
“WAIT NO. NO. Tesla Model 3s will be out of the range for this subsidy. WHAT,” one wrote.

The cheapest electric car in Australia currently is the MG ZS EV model, which starts at $46,990, then the BYD Atto 3 which is $44,990 before on-road costs.

The Hyundai Ioniq Electric is also among the cheapest at $49,970 before on-road costs, and the Nissan Leaf from $49,990, also before on-road costs.

Overseas, the cheapest electric car is sold in Macau for $56,000, then in China for $58,000, and about the same in Romania.

Originally published as Questions raised after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announces electric vehicle subsidy