Transport reports
Recharging Australia and Recharging the regions - Reports on the benefit of a strong fuel efficiency standard
Year - 2023 Partners - Solar Citizens
These reports focus on the need for Australia to introduce a strong fuel efficiency standard, equivalent to what's already in place in Europe. They show that such standards would reduce the cost of living and save Australian drivers billions in annual fuel costs, improve local health outcomes, and cut our transport emissions - with Regional Australia set to reap the largest benefit.
Key insights:
A strong Fuel Efficiency Standard is a key policy needed to reduce transport emissions and unlock a supply of affordable electric vehicles (EVs) to help tackle the cost of living crisis for all Australians.
Introducing a Fuel Efficiency Standard for light vehicles of 95 grams CO₂/km would save Australian motorists $11.2 billion in fuel costs over five years.
The cost-saving benefits of a strong Fuel Efficiency Standard will be greater for regional drivers, relative to city drivers, because they typically spend a higher percent of weekly earnings on transport costs due to longer average commutes, higher regional fuel prices and higher rates of car ownership.
A Fuel Efficiency Standard will turbocharge the growth of EVs and could see Australian EV registrations grow from 14,255 in 2020 to more than 913,359 in five years.
The reduction in transport emissions from a strong Fuel Efficiency Standard will improve air quality and health outcomes for Australia.
Solar citizens worked with Springmount Advisory to create a suite of reports to show benefits for specific regional areas of Australia and used them as part of an Electric Ute roadshow in 2023. The Australian Government introduced new vehicle efficiency standards in 2024.
Supercharging our Supermarkets - How Australia retailers can deliver convenient and cheap EV charging for Australia
Year - 2023 Partners - Greenpeace
In order to meet climate targets Australia must accelerate Electric Vehicle (EV) adoption and bolster charging infrastructure. EV sales in Australia are accelerating fast, with almost half of all Australian drivers willing to replace their petrol car with an electric vehicle, and two in three consider the technology the future of transportation. However, concerns about the lack of public EV infrastructure, such as charging stations and ports, risk stalling Australia’s adoption of this technology..
Australia needs to expand its public EV charging network and provide flexible options to EV owners. While initiatives like the Federal National EV Charging Network program will build along key highway routes - there is a growing need to boost the charging network in our suburbs and towns. This report unveils a program to Supercharge Our Supermarkets by installing charging infrastructure at Australia's 4000 supermarkets to:
energise up to 25,000 new charging points nationwide; installing six EV chargers at every supermarket car park in the country would nearly triple the number of charging locations across Australia
alleviate range anxiety for drivers and enhance charging accessibility
benefit supermarkets by increasing customer dwell times and provide an opportunity to offer free charging as an alternative to fuel discounts.
The initiative would also benefit the electricity grid by capitalising on existing substation capacity and aligning EV charging with peak daytime solar power generation.
Key findings of the report:
Australia lags behind the worldwide average with one public charger available for every 17 electric vehicles. Globally the average is one public charger for every 10 EVs. To address this disparity and meet the requirements of our expanding fleet, it’s crucial to boost our public charging infrastructure nationwide.
Currently, Australia’s charging locations have an average of two charging ports per station. Supercharge Our Supermarkets will boost the amount of charging locations nationwide and install an average of six charging ports at supermarket car parks across the country.
Lower wholesale energy costs during daytime hours is an opportunity to provide free and low-cost solar-powered public EV chargers that benefit both drivers and supermarkets.
The success of Supercharge Our Supermarkets relies on a coordinated effort involving Australia’s supermarkets, landlords and governments. By working together, we can boost the charging potential of our supermarkets and accelerate the rollout of this initiative.