Christopher Hughes
Research expert covering Australia and New Zealand
Electric vehicles in Australia - statistics & facts
As global awareness of climate matters is increasing, more and more consumers are considering their carbon footprint, searching for ways to become more eco-friendly, and one of the biggest contributions consumers make to their carbon footprint is with the transport methods they choose. As a result of this, the global market for vehicles powered by means other than fossil fuels is experiencing significant growth, with more and more vehicles powered by hydrogen, electricity, and other gases being produced and sold.
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 significant jump year-on-year in sales. There were around fifteen million passenger vehicles of any fuel type registered in total in Australia in 2023.
Moreover, the share of consumers who said they intended to purchase an electric vehicle has climbed in the last few years, and between 2018 and 2019 the share of those intending to buy a used electric vehicle almost doubled. Despite all this, however, in 2024 most Aussies still have a gasoline-powered vehicle over any other alternative.
Global and regional growth
The most prolific alternative fuel in use is electricity. Globally, there continues to be massive growth in the use of both battery vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) between 2016 and 2023 with the two biggest manufacturers, Tesla Inc. and BYD attracting significant sales during the first quarter of 2023.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 significant jump year-on-year in sales. There were around fifteen million passenger vehicles of any fuel type registered in total in Australia in 2023.
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, New South Wales has a total of around 550 charging points which were predominantly DC (direct current charging stations), which charge vehicles more quickly.Moreover, the share of consumers who said they intended to purchase an electric vehicle has climbed in the last few years, and between 2018 and 2019 the share of those intending to buy a used electric vehicle almost doubled. Despite all this, however, in 2024 most Aussies still have a gasoline-powered vehicle over any other alternative.
