In order to speed up the process of electrifying the vehicles on the road in Australia’s Sunshine State, the Queensland government is proposing to transition its fleet to electric over the next four years. That would mean 100% of eligible Queensland government fleet passenger vehicles will be zero emission by 2026. It also aims for 50% of new passenger vehicle sales to the general public to be zero emission by 2030, moving to 100% by 2036.
The government has also announced that every new TransLink-funded bus added to the fleet will be a zero-emission bus from 2025 in South East Queensland and from 2025–2030 across regional Queensland.
To encourage the general public to buy electric, a rebate has been introduced from Friday, 1 July 2022, for 3 years. This will be available for the purchase of battery electric passenger or light commercial vehicles. Rebates will be available until the allocation is exhausted. Purchasers will need to keep proof of purchase information (such as contract of sale, dealer tax invoice displaying final payment, and date the vehicle was sold) to support their application.
Buyers of new eligible zero-emission vehicles with a purchase price (dutiable value) of up to $58,000 (including GST) on or after 16 March 2022 can apply for a $3,000 rebate and continue to receive existing benefits like discounted vehicle registration and registration duty costs.
Vehicles not eligible for a rebate include: second-hand vehicles; dealer/demonstrator models; retrofitted zero emission vehicles and other vehicle conversion kits (including any other alternative fuel source); hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
The notable exclusion of hybrids and plug-in hybrids will accelerate the uptake of BEVs.
The state government is also providing more public electric vehicle fast-charging options to ensure Queenslanders and tourists can charge in more locations across Queensland. The Queensland Electric Superhighway is being expanded and a $10 million co-fund will support public charging options, in partnership with local government and industry.
One of the intended consequences from this government action will be ex-government fleet EVs will enter the second hand market in large numbers in a few years.
Perhaps one of the unintended consequences will be a tightening of the market for new EVs, as the average citizen will now have to compete with the government for limited stocks. This will be acerbated by all the other rebates and incentives being offered across various states. Will it be State of Origin with EVs? A recent shipment of only 100 Ioniq 5’s sold out in seconds.
Where will all the new EVs come from? This is a brilliant opportunity for the major players (Tesla, BYD, Volkswagen) to step up deliveries and the minor players (Hyundai, BMW, Great Wall Motor) to get involved.
Featured photo by Majella Waterworth | CleanTechnica.
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