Australians are rebelling against the government’s plans to ban petrol and diesel cars, new vehicle sales figures show.
The Albanian government will begin imposing sanctions on gasoline and diesel carmakers from next year as part of a plan to reduce carbon emissions from vehicles by 59 percent by 2029.
The Climate Council wants Australia to go further and ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035, which would include hybrid vehicles because only “zero emission” vehicles would be allowed.
But motorists don’t seem to be listening: diesel sales are increasing and sales of gasoline-electric hybrids are doubling in one year, sales figures from the Federal Chamber of the Automotive Industry reveal.
Diesel cars had a market share of 29 percent in March with 31,731 sold, 5.5 percent more than in March 2023.
Australians are rebelling against plans to ban petrol and diesel cars in just over a decade, according to the latest vehicle sales figures (pictured is an updated Toyota LandCruiser Series 70).
The Ford Ranger, available primarily as a diesel, was the best-selling car in Australia, up 25.6 per cent compared to the previous year.
Environmentally conscious motorists also prefer petrol-electric hybrids to battery electric cars following a 4.9 percent drop in sales of petrol cars.
Hybrid sales more than doubled, rising 165.6 percent to 13,935, up from 5,247 a year earlier.
The Toyota RAV4, available as a hybrid, was Australia’s second most popular car in March with total monthly sales of 5,070 sales, an increase of 185.2 per cent on the previous year.
Sales of plug-in hybrids almost tripled to 1,412, up 148.2 percent from 569.
By comparison, sales of battery electric cars rose a modest 58.3 percent to 10,464, up from 6,612.
The Tesla Model Y, Australia’s third best-selling car with 4,379 sales in March, was the only electric vehicle in the top 10.
But diesels took five places in the top 10 with the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, Isuzu D-Max, Ford Everest and Toyota LandCruiser.
Hybrids took two spots, including the Toyota RAV4 and Nissan X-Trail, while the plug-in hybrid segment had the Mitsubishi Outlander.
BAEconomics CEO Brian Fisher, who models climate change, said a diesel Ford Ranger for less than $50,000 was a better value for trade than a Chinese-made all-electric LDV eT60 at $92,990.
“You can buy a lot of diesel for $45,000,” he told WhatsNew2Day Australia.
“Most traders will take the safe bet, especially given the cost of capital and the fact that they pay for themselves over three years.”
The Ford Ranger, available primarily as a diesel, was the best-selling car in Australia, with sales up 25.6 per cent compared to the previous year as 5,661 units were ordered in one month.
For twice the money, the LDV eT60 also tows just one tonne, rather than 3.5 tonnes like a diesel Ford Ranger or Toyota HiLux.
“A lot of these vehicles are used for business and do a lot of work, if you’re that far away,” Dr. Fisher said.
“Right now, it seems to me rationally, there’s not much incentive for people to go around trying to experiment with electric vehicles, unless they’re early adopters.
‘People are going to be shy about that kind of thing because there aren’t many of them out there. Are you going to risk it?
Dr Fisher said hybrid cars were also a more attractive option for environmentally conscious drivers who had anxiety about the range and charging of electric vehicles.
“You’re reducing fuel use and mitigating charging risk,” he said.
“There are already stories of people trapped and unable to charge their vehicle.”
Despite the problems with electric vehicle charging, the Climate Council argued that Australia should ban petrol and diesel cars by 2035 because the European Union was already doing so.
“Based on the pace of vehicle turnover, this date should be set no later than 2035 for Australia to have a zero-emission fleet by 2050,” he said.
“The European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and some US states are in the process of implementing this approach, with 2035 emerging as a common end date for gasoline and diesel vehicles in these communities.”
BAEconomics CEO Brian Fisher said hybrid cars were also a more attractive option for environmentally conscious drivers who had anxiety about the range and charging of electric vehicles (pictured is a charging queue Tesla in Keith, South Australia).
Under the Climate Council’s plan, even gasoline-electric hybrid cars would be banned because they continue to emit carbon emissions.
“Progress to end sales of new gasoline and diesel cars could begin by putting strict limits on vehicle pollution,” he said.
“These limits could be progressively reduced until 100 percent of new vehicles sold have to have zero emissions.”
Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen’s National Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), announced in February, seeks to impose sanctions on car manufacturers who relied too heavily on the sale of petrol and diesel cars, including those with hybrid engines .
The government’s plan, which will come into force on January 1, 2025, aims to reduce average carbon emissions from passenger vehicles to 58 grams of carbon per kilometer by 2029.
This would mark a 59 per cent reduction from the target of 141 grams per kilometer by 2025 as part of Labour’s plan to reduce carbon emissions by 43 per cent by 2030.
Hybrids had two spots, including the Toyota RAV4 and Nissan X-Trail, while the plug-in hybrid segment had the Mitsubishi Outlander (pictured).
But the rules would be less stringent for light commercial vehicles, which would cover utes and four-wheel drive vehicles, with a 47.6 per cent reduction from 210 grams of CO2 per kilometer in 2025 to 110 g/km in 2029.
No gasoline, diesel or hybrid car on sale now would meet those NVES targets, and automakers were fined $100 for every gram their new fleet, on average, exceeded a specific threshold.
This would pass costs on to consumers but reward electric vehicle makers who could sell carbon credits to rivals, and the plan is expected to reduce the price of a Tesla Model Y by $15,390.
But a Toyota LandCruiser with a diesel engine would cost $13,250 more, as the 70 Series emits 281 grams of CO2 per kilometer, FCAI calculations showed.