Electric Vehicle Uproar: Taxpayers Slammed with $135 Million Bill to Fund 22,500 Car Chargers Amid Plummeting Sales
- electricity companies lobbying federal and state governments to foot the bill for EV chargers, sparking outrage among taxpayers
- implemented, the plan would see households pay 50 cents per year, rising to $1 per year from 2034, to fund the extra chargers
- Minister for Social Services Tanya Plibersek dismisses concerns, saying people should “take a chill pill” over the proposed move
Sunrise host Nat Barr has taken aim at senior Albanese minister Tanya Plibersek over the staggering decline in electric car sales, as the government considers a proposal to fund 22,500 electric chargers at a cost of $135 million to taxpayers.
In a heated exchange on Monday, Barr confronted Plibersek over the potential burden on taxpayers, with the minister appearing to downplay the concerns. “This is a story about the government being lobbied to do something. We get lobbied to do a lot of things,” Plibersek said, dodging the question.
The proposal, revealed by The Australian Financial Review, would see households pay 50 cents per year, rising to $1 per year from 2034, to fund the extra chargers. This is aimed at alleviating “range anxiety”, a known obstacle to EV car sales, which refers to the fear of running out of battery power before reaching an intended destination.
The news comes as sales for electric cars plunged to their lowest level in two years, according to data from the Australian Automobile Association. Just 17,396 cars were sold in the first three months of this year, making up just six per cent of the market.
Barr pressed Plibersek on how the government plans to meet its target of 50 per cent of car sales being electric vehicles in the next 10 years, given the current sales slump. “How are you going to get 50 per cent of car sales being EVs in the next 10 years? It was nine per cent. It is now down to five per cent, fewer people are buying them because of range anxiety,” Barr asked.
Plibersek replied, “It’s horses for courses. Nobody is talking about getting rid of petrol or diesel vehicles. What we’re saying is for people who want to buy an electric vehicle, we bought the price down, as the government. We’re investing in infrastructure, so we can reduce the ‘range anxiety’ that you’re talking about.”
Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce was outraged by the suggestion, saying, “Why is the taxpayer being lumbered or suggested to be lumbered with yet another charge for this massive (EV) scam, which is apparently the cheapest form of energy and we’re having to subsidise it? Subsidise the transmission lines. Now, we’re subsidising the spots where they’re selling electricity to us.”
As the debate rages on, one thing is certain: taxpayers are set to foot the bill for the government’s push to promote electric vehicles, whether they like it or not.