Battery EVs took a record 24.9 per cent of Australia’s new-car market in August, outselling both petrol and diesel as electrified vehicles continued their rapid rise.
The surge in interest in electric vehicles has continued for another month, reaching a record monthly total for EV sales and grabbing its best ever market share of 24.9 per cent of Australia’s new car market in August.
New data released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show a record 27,089 full battery electric vehicles were sold in the month, the highest ever. The 24.9 per cent market share beat the 23.5 per cent record set in June and is the third month in a row where EVs took a greater than 20 per cent share.
The data is doubly significant as EVs outsold petrol cars (25,824) and diesels (23,608), to become the best selling fuel type over the month.
EV advocates and market observers talk of a ‘structural’ change in the market, driven by soaring petrol and diesel prices and the fact that more and more EV models are now at or approaching cost parity with the petrol equivalents, and despite the intense campaigns of misinformation laid against the technology.
According to the FCAI, plug-in hybrid vehicles represented a further 10.5 per cent of August sales, taking the plug-in total to a record 35.4 per cent, while conventional hybrids accounted for an extra 18.5 per cent, taking the ‘electrified’ total to nearly 54 per cent of the new car market.
“The sustained level of BEV sales, together with changing brand preferences, shows how quickly consumer choice and competition are reshaping Australia’s new-vehicle market,” FCAI boss Tony Weber said in a statement.
The Tesla Model Y, as reported on Wednesday with data from the Electric Vehicle Council, was again the best selling car of any type in August, with a total of 6,414 – its second best month on record. EVs took four of the top 10 selling spots in the month.
Best selling EVs in August (July numbers in brackets)
Tesla Model Y – 6,414 (4,644)
BYD Sealion 7 – 2,213 (2,548)
Geely EX5 – 1,947 (2,034)
Zeekr 7X – 1,747 (1,892)
Jaecoo J5 – 1,672 (1,654)
Geely EX2 – 1,279 (474)
Tesla Model 3 – 1,271 (134)
BYD Atto 2 – 1,122 (1,214)
The FCAI’s Weber says the surge in interest in EVs reinforces the need for infrastructure settings that “keep pace” with the market. “Accessible and dependable charging will remain critical to consumer confidence, particularly on highways, in rural and regional areas and for motorists without access to charging at home,” he said in a statement.
The EVC head Julie Delvecchio said the sustained growth in monthly and annual EV sales points to a “structural shift” in Australia’s car market.
“Environmental and economic considerations are coming together, changing what Australians buy and how they spend,” she said in a statement, while the NRMA also released the results of a survey pointing to what it describes as a “tipping point” in the EV market, with just 17 per cent of respondents saying that they are not interested in EVs.
Republished from The Driven.io
Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of Renew Economy, and is also the founder of One Step Off The Grid and founder/editor of the EV-focused The Driven. He is the co-host of the weekly Energy Insiders Podcast. Giles has been a journalist for 40 years and is a former business and deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review. You can find him on LinkedIn and on Twitter.