Petrol and diesel car sales to be banned in Greater Sydney within five years under new proposal
New petrol and diesel cars could be banned from sale in Sydney within the next five years if a radical plan from a think tank is given the go ahead.
The Committee for Sydney, an urban policy think tank made up of a highly influential body of business leaders and infrastructure experts, has set out a series of proposals to halve carbon dioxide emissions by 2030.
The committee released its Decarbonising Sydney report on Monday unveiling plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2027, and gas appliances by 2030.
‘NSW’s climate policies are leading the nation, but this research is a wakeup call that Sydney’s not on track for net zero – we’ve got plenty of work to do,’ committee spokesman Sam Kernaghan said.
Diesel and petrol cars are the biggest driver of emissions in the area and should be replaced completely by electric vehicles, according to the report.
A blanket ban on the petrol guzzlers would follow in the steps of the ACT, which plans to phase out all emission-producing vehicles by 2035.
Increasing the number of electric vehicles on the road is one recommendation along with no new gas connections and the electrification of taxpayer-owned schools, hospitals, housing and office blocks
Petrol and diesel cars could no longer be sold within the next fives years under radical plans to ban them from the roads and replace them with electric vehicles (stock image)
‘The NSW EV Strategy aims for electric vehicles to make up half of all new car sales by 2030, leading to approx. 15 per cent of the passenger fleet being electric,’ the report states.
‘Our Accelerated Net Zero Transition model shows we need a much faster ramping up: all new cars need to be electric by 2027, so EVs make up approx. 30 per cent of the passenger fleet by 2030 – twice as much as in the Steady Transition approach.’
The plan to ban petrol car sales in NSW by 2027 is more ambitious than other countries with Germany and the UK waiting until 2030 and California 2035.
The committee wants to increase the number of electric vehicles expected on the roads by 2030 from 470,000 to 850,000.
It also wants to replace all commercial and government fleets with electric vehicles by the same year.
‘A key reason EV supply is limited in Australia is the lack of fuel standards, along with no future ban on new petrol/diesel vehicles,’ the report states.
‘A petrol and diesel car sales ban, announced well in advance, would also send a clear signal to industry that EV charging, servicing and supply chain networks need to be in place.’
The committee released its Decarbonising Sydney report on Monday revealing diesel and petrol cars are the biggest driver of emissions in the area (stock image)
The Zero Emissions Vehicle Strategy will see no fuel-powered cars available for purchase beyond 2035 in the ACT
The report advised the number of charging stations should be increased drastically to cut down on consumer ‘range anxiety’.
Australia pushes for EVs; no loans from Bank Australia for new diesel, petrol cars
The push adds to a proposal put forward by a Grattan Institute think tank to ban diesel trucks manufactured before 2003 in parts of Sydney and Melbourne by 2025.
The report claimed trucks made before 1996 emitted 60 times more pollution than vehicles sold after 2011.
‘Since old trucks are so harmful, the largest capital cities should introduce low-emission zones to keep the most-polluting ones away from people,’ the report stated.
On top of introducing more electric vehicles, the Committee for Sydney wants more coal plants to be closed in order to reach the 2030 emissions target.
No new gas connections from 2035 and no new gas appliances by 2030 are part of the proposed plan.
‘Both come with big social, logistical and political challenges, but the reduced energy bills that come with electrifying transport and buildings will be worth it,’ Mr Kernaghan said.
The report shows how making the switch to cleaner energy could reduce the cost of living pressures.
The modelling suggests that by 2050, solar-powered households could be saving $1,000 a year on energy bills on average, and running an EV could save another $1,250 per year.
On top of introducing more electric vehicles, additional coal plants must be closed in order to reach the 2030 emissions target (stock image)
A home battery could reduce those bills by a further $850 per year, and converting gas appliances to electric could save another $150 per year on average.
Endeavour Energy CEO Guy Chalkley is forecasting more than 65,000 electric vehicles will be on its network by 2027, and 1.3 million by 2040.
He said the current number of 12,000 home batteries Endeavour supports is expected to increase more than tenfold to over 140,000 by 2030, and businesses are looking at industrial solar to cut costs and meet sustainability targets.
Dexus executive Rob Sims says electrifying buildings, upgrading to more efficient air-conditioning, introducing EV charging stations and installing solar panels will reduce emissions.
But households and businesses will need help to make millions of decisions, and renters need to join the list of winners for it to work, the Decarbonising Sydney report says.
The report recommends expanding rental and apartment access to rooftop solar and battery storage, including community-scale batteries.
Speeding up the switch to solar hot water with subsidies for new equipment along with new tariffs and smart meters that reward households for their individual decisions is also backed.
The modelling suggests that by 2050, solar-powered households could be saving $1,000 a year on energy bills on average, and running an EV could save another $1,250 per year (stock image)
The solar electrification of government-owned buildings – schools, hospitals and offices – is also part of the plan.
Greater Sydney is urged to start planning for a faster conversion of trucks to battery cells and liquid hydrogen.
The push to stop selling diesel and petrol cars in NSW falls in line with plans by the ACT Government to phase out the sale of the vehicles by 2035 under its Zero Emissions Vehicle Strategy.
Transport accounts for about 60 per cent of the ACT’s emissions, with the new program to accelerate its commitment to significantly reducing its carbon footprint.
Shane Rattenbury, a member of the Greens and the Minister of Emissions Reduction, revealed the full plan in July, which set targets of between 80 and 90 per cent of new cars being zero-emission within the decade.
Financial incentives will be introduced to help convince residents to trade in their petrol vehicles for clean models.
Australian bank announces it will BAN loans for petrol or diesel cars in order to fight climate change and encourage electric vehicles
An Australian bank will stop approving personal loans for new petrol and diesel-powered cars from 2025 as the federal government flags tough new fuel efficiency standards.
Electric vehicles this year have a minuscule 1.6 per cent market share even when Tesla sales were included, with starting prices of $47,000 and a lack of charging stations turning off many potential motorists.
But the customer-owned Bank Australia wants to change that, in a bid to reduce carbon emissions linked to climate change.
Its chief impact officer Sasha Courville this month told the National Electric Vehicle Summit in Canberra the bank’s new policy was ‘an important step in decarbonising the Australian economy’.
‘By ceasing car loans for new fossil fuel vehicles, we are sending a signal to the Australian market about the rapid acceleration in the transition from internal combustion to electric vehicles we expect to see in the next few years,’ she said.
An Australian bank will stop approving personal loans for new petrol and diesel-powered cars from 2025 as the federal government flags tough new fuel efficiency standards. Bank Australia’s chief impact officer Sasha Courville told the National Electric Vehicle Summit in Canberra on Friday the bank’s new policy was ‘an important step in decarbonising the Australian economy’
Electric vehicles this year have a minuscule 1.6 per cent market share even when Tesla (recharging stations in California, pictured) sales were included, with more expensive prices and a lack of charging stations turning off many potential motorists
‘We’ve chosen 2025 because the change to electric vehicles needs to happen quickly, and we believe it can with the right supporting policies in place to bring a greater range of more affordable electric vehicles to Australia.’Bank Australia made the announcement as Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen and Transport Minister Catherine King jointly announced that new fuel efficiency standards would be introduced as part of a National Electric Vehicle Strategy.
‘Apart from Russia, Australia is the only OECD country to not have, or be in the process of developing, fuel efficiency standards,’ their joint media release said.
Under Labor’s plan, a low emissions target would apply to 75 per cent of the Commonwealth government’s car fleet by 2025, with that figure including purchases and leases.
‘Up until now, Australian households and businesses have had very little choice regarding low-emissions and fuel-efficient vehicles, and they have been paying for it,’ Mr Bowen said.
The ministers have also promised to have electric vehicle charging stations at average intervals of every 150km on major roads along with a national hydrogen highways refuelling network.
The Chinese-made MG ZS EV is Australia’s cheapest electric car with prices starting at $46,990 for the Excite model
Ms Courville said Bank Australia would continue allowing loans for secondhand petrol and diesel cars from 2025, as it banned financing for new fossil fuel-powered vehicles.
‘Importantly Bank Australia will continue to support customers who can’t yet access an electric vehicle,’ she said.
‘While we will cease car loans for new fossil fuel cars from 2025, we are deeply aware that we need to support people not yet able to afford an electric vehicle while the market grows.
‘We’ll continue to offer loans for second hand fossil fuel vehicles until there is a viable and thriving market for electric vehicles.’
In Australia last year, just 5,149 fully-electric vehicles were sold among the 1,049,831 that left showrooms. That Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries data didn’t include Tesla cars.
However, from January to July, 10,289 EVs were sold out of 622,319 vehicles, with this market share of 1.6 per cent in 2022 so far now including Tesla.
Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber described the government’s polices as ‘a major step on our journey to delivering low emission vehicles to Australian customers’.
‘This is a good day,’ he said.
‘It also is critical to ensure all Australians are included, rather than excluded because of where they live and what they can afford, and ensure ambition is matched with reality.’
The Chinese-made MG ZS EV is Australia’s cheapest electric car with prices starting at $46,990 for the Excite model – one of just eight EVs available in Australia for less than $60,000 compared with 26 in the UK.
The Nissan Leaf costs start at $55,240 driveaway while the Tesla Model 3 starts at $65,500 before on-road costs.
Australia’s top selling cars are all petrol or diesel-powered with the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger utes taking first and second positions in July.
The third-placed Toyota RAV4 is available as a petrol-electric hybrid, as is the Toyota Corolla, which is also in the top 10.
Ford from the middle of next year will be selling the American F-150 pick-up trucks in its dealerships but the fully-electric Lightning version sold in the U.S. won’t be available in Australia.
Australia has a net zero by 2050 target with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor government this month securing from the Greens support to legislate a 43 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.
Bank Australia has a net zero by 2035 target.