In brief

• Canberrans are leading the way with electric vehicle (EV) ownership.
• Owning an EV can save you money and is better for the environment.
• This story details the financial and environmental benefits of owning an EV.

Australia is seeing an uptake in electric vehicle (EV) sales, with the ACT leading the way.

One in 20 vehicles registered in the ACT is now electric. The capital has had three record months of EV uptake in a row.

In the last 12 months, more than one in four newly registered vehicles in the ACT was electric.

In the last three months, that rose to more than one in three and in June, over 43% of newly registered vehicles were electric – nearly one in two!

Better incentives for buying an EV

The ACT Government offers incentives for people and businesses when they purchase an EV.

Through the Sustainable Household Scheme, eligible households can now get a loan for up to $20,000. The loan can be used to buy new and used EVs   priced under $60,000.

Prices for new EVs are continuing to drop; there are now several models of new EV available for under $30,000.

Other incentives include:

• lower motor vehicle duty (stamp duty) for lower-emissions vehicles
• lower registration fees for lower-emissions vehicles

The Australian Government also provides tax exemptions for ZEV purchases.

This means employers do not pay fringe benefits tax (FBT) on eligible zero or low emissions vehicles, making it more affordable to lease an EV through your employer.

More chargers available

For Canberrans who can’t charge at home, visitors to the city and businesses, the ACT has a growing network of public EV chargers.

There are now more than 330 public EV charging bays across the ACT. PlugShare is a great place to see the locations of public chargers in the ACT and across Australia.

PlugShare also has information like charger speed and plug types. You can also check the website or mobile app for specific charge point operators.

A further 86 charging bays are on the way with support from the ACT Government’s Public EV Charging Infrastructure Fund.

These chargers will be installed in shopping areas, near tourist attractions and high-density residences, and in the remaining gaps in the network.

Haven’t used a public charger before? Find out all there is to know about using a public EV charger.

Roughly 80% of EV owners across the world use overnight home charging as the main way to charge their vehicle. This is often the cheapest and most convenient way.

Benefits of owning an EV

Electric vehicles are cheaper to run than petrol, diesel and hybrid alternatives.

This is because electricity costs less than petrol or diesel and maintenance is cheaper.

Switching to an EV could save you around $18,000 in running costs over 10 years.

For EVs registered in the ACT in the last 12 months, the switch will collectively save their owners about $10 million a year on fuel.

To find out how much you could save by making the switch to electric, try our free Total Cost of Ownership tool.

Making the switch also has the potential to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions by around 3 tonnes per year.

That has real benefits to our environment, health and the quality of our air.

Doing your bit to reduce emissions helps our city act on climate change.

Visit the Climate Choices website for more information on owning an EV in the ACT.

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