Global and regional growth
The most prolific alternative fuel in use is electricity. Globally, there was massive growth in the use of both battery vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) between 2016 and 2021 with the two biggest manufacturers, Tesla Inc. and Volkswagen attracting significant sales during the first quarter of 2021.China is by far the largest market for electric cars in the Asia-Pacific region, although sales of this type of vehicle have experienced huge growth in Australia in recent years, making a huge jump of more than double the number sold between 2018 and 2019. There were around fourteen million passenger vehicles of any fuel type registered in total in Australia in 2020.
Australia’s charging infrastructure and the consumer perspective
Australia’s infrastructure for charging electric vehicles is centered around the more populated states and territories. For example, in 2020 New South Wales had a total of 783 charging points which were predominantly DC (direct current charging stations), which charge vehicles more quickly. Notably, a survey conducted in the same year revealed that most Australians favoured charging their electric vehicles at home, or using public fast chargers such as Tesla Inc’s network of Superchargers.Moreover, the share of consumers who said they intended to purchase an electric vehicle has climbed steadily since 2018, when just under half of those surveyed said they would purchase one, and between 2018 and 2019, the share of those intending to buy a used electric vehicle almost doubled. Despite all this, however, a 2020 survey revealed that most Aussies still consider a gasoline-powered vehicle over any other alternative, with the fossil fuel being chosen by around double the number of respondents over a mild hybrid.
