The Model 3 by the US-based company is almost as popular in Australia as any other electric car in 2021. This is despite the fact that EV market share has risen to 2.39%.
After years of slow sales, the number of electric vehicles has increased by three times in Australia. This is due to incentives provided by state governments.
Australia saw 24,078 EVs sold in 2021. This is a significant increase on the 6,900 in 2020. It also means that electric cars now account for 2.39% of the new vehicle market.
With 15,054 units sold last year, the Tesla Model 3 was Australia’s bestselling electric vehicle. This represented 62.5%. The MG ZS followed with 1,388 vehicles and the Mitsubishi Outlander, with 592.
After a deal between the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC), and the US company, the sales figures now include Tesla’s Australian sales.
Tesla has not released any breakdowns of sales by region in the past. Instead, it only released global sales figures. In 2021, the company sold 936,172 electric vehicles worldwide.
Industry bodies that monitor changes to the car market were forced to make educated estimates in the past. However, Tesla’s regional breakdown shows the number of electric cars on Australian roads.
Behyad Jafari (EVC chief executive) said that the figures are a significant milestone in a market where EVs have been slowing for years due to mixed signals from the government.
Jafari stated that they have waited for a long time to reach the 1% mark. To skip this and get to 2% is huge.
He stated that the combination of supportive policies implemented by individual states or territories to support uptake can explain the increase, including rebates and stamp duty waivers.
Although there was solid growth in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, their market shares hovered around the national average. However, the Australian Capital Territory, widely thought to have implemented the most generous policy in the country, has consistently outperformed all other jurisdictions with a 5.87% market share.
Jafari stated that even with these positive numbers, there are still many things that can be done if there is federal government support.
Jafari stated that there is no reason to not be at least 20%. “We have a federal government that talks about reaching those targets by 2030, when we could be there already today. It’s a matter of doing their jobs.
Even though Australia has 2.39% market share, sales of electric vehicles in Australia are lower than other countries.
According to data from Schmidt Automotive Research electric vehicles account for 11.2% of western Europe’s market. In December 2012, registrations for battery-electric vehicles exceeded those for diesel for for the first time.
Although the US is still considered to be ahead of the curve, electric vehicles account for approximately 3% of the new vehicle market, which is still higher than Australia.
Australian supply chain companies are looking for overseas opportunities, as demand is expected to rise in the US and other nations in 2022.
Tritium, a Brisbane-based manufacturer of electric vehicle fast charger systems, will announce the location of its new US facility in the coming weeks. It is expected that it will be operational by September.
After being listed on the Nasdaq, the shares closed Wednesday at US$7.74. Trevor St Baker, the long-standing backer of the company, received A$344.7m in return for his 31.5 million shares.
The company’s Brisbane plant can currently produce 5,000 units per year. The new factory will triple that capacity, and it won’t have to ship any material overseas.
Tritium plans to expand into Europe and could soon be one of the largest manufacturers of fast charging systems in the world.
