SA govt aims to flood local vehicle market with EVs

• State govt-funded network a first
• Commits to EV purchases

The South Australian Government has announced a plan to spark local electric vehicle ownership, which includes the creation of a $13.4 million state-wide fast-charging network.

The $18.3 million plan will also speed up the state-government vehicle fleet’s transition to EVs, which the Marshall Government believes will have a flow-on effect into the community.

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“Consumers are saying there are two main barriers to electric vehicles which this policy will target – a lack of charging infrastructure and the availability of affordable models,” said Minister for Energy and Mining Dan van Holst Pellekaan.

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As well as the charging network, the Minister announced that to accelerate the availability of new models, the State Government fleet will transition to electric vehicles within its existing budget, whilst calling on local government and corporate fleets to pledge similar.

“This will bring more models into South Australia and deliver a steady stream of affordable used electric vehicles after a few years of use in government and private fleets,” he said.

“The transition the State Government fleets will also help accelerate public charging infrastructure in the City of Adelaide, at hospitals, schools and transport hubs."

He added that a predominantly electric-powered fleet will allow the state government to spend much of its $15 million imported fuel budget on locally-produced clean energy.

UPDATE: A couple of days after this story was first published it was revealed the South Australian Government has decided to impose a distance tax on EVs, which critics say will undermine the above initiatives.