Ballarat backs Fuel Efficiency Standards and EVs
10th February 2023: Ballarat backs Fuel Efficiency Standards and EVs
A clear majority of Ballarat residents say the government should assist electric vehicle (EV) uptake through better Fuel Efficiency Standards, as 81 per cent of local residents said they were concerned about rising petrol prices. Some 45 per cent of Ballarat locals would consider an EV for their next car - a number which jumped to 60 per cent if more affordable EVs arrive in Australia.
The poll of a representative sample of more than 800 Ballarat residents was conducted by UComms and comes as petrol prices heavily impact the cost of living, after almost two consecutive years of fuel price rises. Eighty-one per cent of people polled said they were concerned about rising petrol prices, especially men (85%).
“Regional Australians are really feeling the pain at the petrol pump – we have to fork out more cash when we fill up, because we have to drive longer distances, and petrol and diesel are more expensive than in the city,” said Ben Lever, Ballarat local and Regional Clean Transport Organiser at Solar Citizens.
Of the people polled, 45 per cent would consider buying an electric vehicle as their next car, but this number rose to 60 per cent if there were affordable models on the market. By far the biggest barrier for Ballarat locals when considering electric cars was purchase price (42.3%), especially for young people aged 18-34 (48.7%).
“One of the big barriers stopping more Australians from investing in an EV is the huge price tag – you still can’t buy a new EV in Australia for less than $40,000, and the second-hand ones are snatched up quickly. We simply need more affordable models, and stronger Fuel Efficiency Standards will mean more affordable EVs come to Australia,” said Lever.
63 per cent of the people polled agreed that the Federal Government should be doing more to tackle low EV uptake, and 63 per cent agreed that we need to implement Fuel Efficiency Standards that at least match the ambition of our major trading partners.
“The data is telling us that the Federal Government has the mandate to catch up to the rest of the world with a practical Fuel Efficiency Standard to drive down petrol bills, and give Australians real choices when they’re buying. This would include affordable cars and utes that are already available overseas,” said Lever.
“Our trading partners have access to these vehicles because they have strong Fuel Efficiency Standards – Australia’s weak Standards mean we miss out. And because we spend so much on fuel, it’s regional Australians that would benefit the most from fixing this gap.”
[ENDS]
Full polling results:
- 81.7% of those polled are somewhat concerned or very concerned about rising petrol prices.
- 45.4% of Ballarat locals would consider buying an electric vehicle as their next car, and only 1.7% already own an electric vehicle.
- 59.6% of Ballarat locals would consider an electric vehicle if there were affordable models on the market.
- The biggest barrier for Ballarat locals when considering electric cars was overwhelmingly purchase price (42.3%), in particular for young people aged 18-34 (48.7%)
- A majority (63.3%) of Ballarat locals think it’s important for the Federal Government should introduce policies, infrastructure and industry that assist people to buy and drive electric vehicles in this term of government.
- 63.2% of Ballarat locals agree that any Fuel Efficiency Standard implemented by the Federal Government should be at least in line with our major trading partners, if not stronger.
Media Contact: Ben Lever, Regional Clean Transport Organiser, [email protected]
