The Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) scored a big win today, reporting more than 100,000 electric vehicle (EV) sales in Australia so far this year – which would be a major milestone for the introduction of battery-powered vehicles in this country.
However, the lobby group did not reveal an important caveat: the figure also includes plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), which can be charged externally but are also equipped with petrol engines.
In a media statement, the EVC said its own and public data, such as the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries’ (FCAI) monthly VFACTS report, shows Australians purchased more than 100,000 electric vehicles between January and November 2024.
This figure, the company claims, breaks the existing annual record of “approximately 98,400 sales” set in 2023.
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“2024 has been a record year for electric vehicle adoption in Australia, with new sales exceeding 100,000 for the first time in a year – and that’s before the year has even ended,” said Aman, Head of Policy, Legal EVC Affairs and Advocacy. Gaur, in today’s press release.
However, the EVC did not make a clear distinction between battery electric vehicles – widely accepted as the true definition of an EV – and PHEVs.
When the two figures are separated from the monthly reports from the lobby group and VFACTS, the actual year-to-date EV sales figure is 82,960 between January and November.
PHEVs contributed 20,543 sales to the combined total of 103,503 externally charging vehicles sold this year.
While this is higher than last year’s figure of 94,429 – achieved through sales of 87,217 EVs and 11,212 PHEVs – it does not tell the full story of the Australian electric and plug-in hybrid market in 2024.
The 82,690 electric vehicles sold in Australia between January and November represents a 2.8 per cent increase over the same period in 2023, against a market up 1.7 per cent.
Electric vehicles account for 7.3 percent of the Australian new vehicle market, but their sales growth has slowed significantly compared to 2023, when they experienced a 161 percent sales increase by the end of the year.
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The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV can drive via a petrol engine and/or electric motors
PHEVs, meanwhile, account for just 1.8 percent of local new vehicle sales, but their sales growth is currently 100 percent higher than the same period last year.
Although PHEVs can be charged via a special port and can be used solely on electric power to travel limited distances, they also feature a gasoline engine.
The EVC has not made this clear in its most recent media statements, and in its late 2023 ‘Australian Electric Vehicle Industry Recap’ it only clarified its position on combining EV and PHEV sales in the fine print.
“In accordance with international literature and groups such as the International Energy Agency, the EVC defines electric vehicles as any vehicle that can be plugged in for direct charging using electricity. This includes both battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs),” the fine print says.
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The Toyota RAV4 Hybrid does not need to be plugged in to save fuel
Combined sales of EVs and PHEVs still lag behind those of traditional hybrids, with some 158,242 units sold so far this year, representing almost 14 percent of the total market. This is largely thanks to market leader Toyota.
The EVC is the exclusive publisher of sales data for Tesla and Polestar in Australia, after the two specialist EV brands stopped reporting to the FCAI in July and March respectively over the car industry lobby group’s position on the then-proposed New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).
The NVES will come into effect on January 1, 2025 and impose fines or credits on automakers for exceeding or meeting fleet-wide emissions targets, with financial penalties to be imposed from July 1 next year.
The NVES has placed more emphasis on automakers selling cleaner and more efficient vehicles, which the EVC believes will benefit buyers.
“Looking ahead to 2025, we are optimistic that EV [including PHEV] Adoption in Australia will continue to grow, especially with the introduction of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, which will deliver an even more affordable and wider choice of low and zero emission cars,” today’s press release said.
MORE: VFACTS November 2024: Private sales decline, RAV4 maintains lead
