According to the National Transport Commission’s (NTC) yearly report, increased sales of SUVs and Utes are tempering Australia’s overall improvement in reducing tailpipe emissions.
The Carbon Dioxide Emissions Intensity for New Australian Light Vehicles Report for 2021 has found that emissions fell by just two per cent in 2021, despite battery electric vehicle sales tripling – indicating that Australia is falling further behind other countries.
Of all the new passenger cars sold in Australia last year, 45 per cent had an emissions intensity of 160g/km or less, compared with 90 per cent of all new cars sold in Europe.
The report, which analyses car sales data provided by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries alongside international comparison data, found that sales of 4×4 and 4×2 utes increased by more than 43,000 and large SUV sales by 25,000.
The emission intensity for many of these popular vehicles exceeds 210 g/km with no electric ute option available in Australia.
It also found that battery electric vehicles (BEV) sales nearly tripled and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (EV) sales doubled over the same period, despite the price differential and more limited options in Australia.
According to the report, if all cars sold were ‘best in class’ for emissions, Australia’s total emissions for lighter passenger vehicles and small SUVs would have reduced by 91 per cent and larger SUVs and utes reduced by 47 per cent.
The NTC said Australia has some catching up to do, as battery and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles represent just 0.23 per cent of its 18.4 million cars and light commercial vehicles on the road.
According to the International Energy Agency, 2.8 per cent of 2021 car sales in Australia were electric – while this figure was 17 per cent in Europe, 16 per cent in China, five per cent in the United States and 4.4 per cent in New Zealand.
Based on trends observed in other countries, increasing investment in public recharging stations, preferential tax arrangements and the adoption of emissions standards can lead to significant uptake in greener vehicles.