Globally, there continues to be a massive growth in the use of electric vehicles (EVs). Australia is no different, with both the number of sales and the number of models available increasing.

According to the Electric Vehicle Council, new EV purchases in Australia have been doubling each year since 2020 with over 180,000 on the road now. People choose EVs for various reasons including the rising cost of petrol, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, reducing our carbon footprint, reducing air pollution. EVs also have lower servicing requirements.

EVs require charging infrastructure and number of charging stations has also experienced substantial growth with NSW leading the charge (pun intended). According to Statista, as of 2023, there were approximately 2,100 publicly available slow charging points and 660 fast charging points across the country.

There are various State and Federal Government incentives and programs. For example, The Australian Federal Government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard will commence from 1 January 2025. The introduction of the Standard keeps Australia on track to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and means there will be more choices of new fuel-efficient cars. The Queensland Zero Emission Vehicle Rebate Scheme provides eligible Queenslanders rebates of up to $6,000 for eligible new Zero Emission Vehicles purchased from 21 April 2023.

The Driving the Nation Fund expands the national rollout of EV charging and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure. This Fund aims to provide 117 electric vehicle charging stations on key highway routes across Australia at an average interval of 150 kms, connecting all capital cities. Australia is a huge country and the long distances between cities can be seen as a draw back.

A 2022 survey of Tesla Owners Club Australia members (in partnership with the Electric Vehicle Council) found that approximately 90% of respondents reported using public chargers less than once per week. This suggests that the majority of charging is being done at home, it also suggests that EV drivers don’t travel far from home. However, it could be presumed that with increased charging infrastructure, that this trend would change.

In keeping up to date with the growing number of charging station in buildings, the 2022 version of the National Construction Code introduced new requirements for EV charging infrastructure in carparks associated with certain building classes. Performance Requirement J1P4 states that ‘a building must have features that facilitate the future installation of on-site renewable energy generation and storage and electric vehicle charging equipment.’

EV fires are considered less likely to occur compared to combustion engines with only 6 fires in total in Australia. The chemical reactions that occur and start EV fires however, are hard to put out, can reignite and produce toxic fumes.

To learn more about this,  see the ‘Lithium-ion Batteries – Safety Issues & Solutions’ course.

EVs also have other uses which may come as a surprise to many! A news article in the Guardian tells of a mother in south-east Queensland who used her electric car to power her son’s dialysis machine after they lost power during a storm. Some battery EVs have “vehicle to load” systems which are a back-up power system that allows the car to act as an emergency generator.

Electric vehicle home charging safety tips

• The electricity demand of a charging EV can be high, even if only charging from a power point. Power point circuits are not typically designed to take such a high load for an extended period. A dedicated EV charger installed by a licensed electrical contractor may provide you with a safer solution, with a lower risk of electrical overload at your home.
• When installing charging equipment, ensure the charging cable and/or unit is electrically compliant and installed by a qualified electrician to AS/NZS 3000 Electrical Installations.
• It is strongly recommended to have an interconnected smoke alarm installed in the area that the vehicle is being charged.
• When charging an EV, only use extension leads and power sockets that are intended for use in the charging of electric vehicles. Always exercise caution when charging in wet weather, and especially during electrical storms.

Information sources:

https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure-transport-vehicles/vehicles/new-vehicle-efficiency-standard https://www.qrida.qld.gov.au/program/queensland-zero-emission-vehicle-rebate-scheme https://www.dcceew.gov.au/energy/transport/driving-the-nation-fund https://www.statista.com/topics/7699/electric-vehicles-in-australia/ https://electricvehiclecouncil.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/EVC-State-of-EVs-2020-report.pdf https://electricvehiclecouncil.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/EVC-Australian-EV-Industry-Recap-2023.pdf https://electricvehiclecouncil.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/EVownerinsights.pdf https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/01/amazing-queensland-mum-uses-electric-car-to-save-sons-life-with-dialysis-during-power-outage https://www.fire.qld.gov.au/safety-education/battery-and-charging-safety/electric-vehicle-fire-safety https://www.ergon.com.au/network/manage-your-energy/smarter-energy/electric-vehicles-ev/charging-your-ev https://www.mynrma.com.au/electric-vehicles/basics/understanding-electric-vehicle-fires