Greg Partridge.
Calls have been aired for the Australian Federal Government to start switching its 5000-vehicle fleet to electric.
The government recently announced it’s considering reviewing the Commonwealth (Comcar) official vehicles used to chauffer politicians, judges and other dignitaries in the course of their duties, possibly introducing new BMWs or Mercedes.
Its finance department is expected to start trialling new cars early this year to replace the Holden Caprice sedans, prompting Australian Electric Vehicle Association national president Greg Partridge to suggest it’s an opportunity for the Federal Government to lead by example and introduce electric or hybrid vehicles.
These could also be added to the second-hand market when no longer required.
In an article published in The Sydney Morning Herald, Partridge says EVs make good sense from financial and health perspectives and that if the Federal Government is serious about climate change action it has to “start putting its money where its mouth it. And that’s by investing in EVs”.
New EVs added to the federal fleet would probably be leased rather than purchased, with charging infrastructure factored into the leases.
Recently released documents from the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), responding to a costing request from Senate Select Committee on Electric Vehicles chairman Tim Storer, include six options around his recommendation for the Federal Government to set a 50% target of new fleet additions by 2025.
Tim Storer.
PBO modelling on current EV and internal combustion engine (ICE) cars out to 2025 puts the switch at about $5 million.
EVs could also be leased for five years rather than the present three for ICE vehicles, given that EVs require less maintenance.
Among its assumptions, the PBO says there would be no technological constraints to achieving the target under each option, and sufficient suitable vehicles would be available. It puts the average additional cost of an EV (excluding infrastructure) compared to an equivalent ICE vehicle at about $200 more a month, assuming prices of both EVs and ICE vehicles grow at the same rate.
However, as some media point out, EV prices are expected to come down and reach parity with ICE vehicles by 2025.
The PBO also says average infrastructure costs for each EV would be about $8000.
It says about 1500 new vehicles are acquired by the Australian Government fleet annually.
