Strong federal and state government encouragement of both CO2 targets and the adoption of all low emission and energy efficient power trains in the Australian market is sought by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI).
Responding to reports of more stringent EV uptake targets in the United Kingdom, with hybrids added to a planned ban on new fossil fuel car sales from 2035, the FCAI says robust targets for introducing low emission vehicles to Australia must include all vehicle technologies – battery electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
It says the emphasis should be on outcomes, rather than mandating specific technologies given Australia’s unique geography.
“To this point, the automotive industry has achieved significant gains in the increased efficiency of internal combustion petrol and diesel engines and they will continue to play a significant role for many years to come,” the FCAI says.
“International studies have confirmed that the uptake of new low-emission technology requires strong Government support through the provision of incentivisation, infrastructure, specific emissions targets and high-quality fuel.”
