Reducing road transport's reliance on fossil fuels is one way we can reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change impacts. Electric vehicles (EVs) powered by renewable energy could deliver a future of reduced global emissions, cleaner air and quieter streets.
These benefits are among the reasons why Transurban is an EV advocate. And we're not alone - our latest research has found 40% of Australians and 35% of people in North America would like their next car to be an EV.
Our new report, Transurban Insights: Electric Vehicles, looks at the state of EV ownership in the cities and regions where we operate. It shows EV ownership is starting to take off in Australia - with the percentage of EVs bought in this country doubling last year (up from 3.8% in 2022 to 8.1% in 2023). But we still have a way to go before EVs are the norm, and our research looked at what's stopping people from making the switch.
Australians' enthusiasm for SUVs appears to be a barrier to widespread EV adoption. The median price of an SUV EV is around $85,000 in Australia, but our research found people want to pay between $20,000 and $79,000 (Australia) and USD/CAD20,000 and 59,000 (North America) for an EV.
EVs' comparatively higher cost is currently putting ownership out-of-reach for many. This is why Transurban is supporting the Parliamentary Friends of Electric Vehicles and Future Fuels Transport Group, a bipartisan group of EV-enthusiast Federal MPs that collaborates to solve problems slowing the transition to a wholly EV Australian vehicle fleet. Finding ways to reduce costs is a major focus for this group.
The issue of EV affordability is also why we've created the EVs for Everyone initiative, launched in Canberra today.
Through EVs for Everyone, we'll be connecting with car-reliant communities where people are driving lots of kilometres every week. We'll test EV and energy solutions with these communities, working with individuals who will most benefit from EV ownership. We'll also be educating people on how much money EVs can save them over the long-term. And we'll share what we learn with government and industry to inform future policy and opportunities.
We're also sharing our EV research findings - download the Transurban Insights: Electric Vehicles report - to learn more.
- Research methodology
- 1,700 respondents aged 18 and over with a driver licence from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney (Australia); the Greater Washington Area (United States) and Montreal (Canada)
- Survey commissioned by Transurban and conducted by Nature
- Online survey conducted in mid-2023.
