Thousands more Australians will celebrate World EV Day behind the wheel of a electric car amid a surge in sales and demand for the technology.
Almost 57,000 electric vehicles have been sold in Australia in 2023 compared to fewer than 15,000 the previous year, according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.
BMW and Tesla are among big-name car makers pledging to bring more electric vehicles into the country, and the federal government has promised to introduce a pollution cap to encourage more EV imports.
But experts say Australia is still being lapped by other nations when it comes to electric transport and the country needs a bigger range of models, more vehicle stock and ongoing incentives to catch up.
World EV Day, which marks its fourth year on Saturday, is designed to promote electric vehicles of all kinds and drive change in low-emissions transport.
More than 11 million electric cars are expected to be shipped globally in 2023, according to research firm Gartner - an increase of 19 per cent on the previous year.
Electric Vehicle Council policy head Jake Whitehead says more local drivers are researching the technology and making the move after considering their options and potential savings.
"In Australia, things are starting to head in the right direction," he said.
"The underlying demand from Australians is there - it's just about getting the range and volume of electric vehicles into the country to meet that demand."
State-based incentives, including rebates of up to $6000 on new electric vehicles and fringe-benefits tax cuts, are helping more motorists to invest in the technology.
But some potential buyers are still waiting for their favourite models from Europe, the UK and US to launch in Australia.
Dr Whitehead says the federal government's promise to introduce a fuel-efficiency standard, which would put a pollution cap on vehicle fleets and encourage them to bring in more low-emission cars, will be critical to unlocking greater choice.
"Quite quickly after we bring that standard in, we will start to see an expansion of our market and we have the potential to catch up to the world average in the next three to four years," he said.
"Many car makers know the transition they have to make, they're expecting we will have a globally competitive standard and they're making changes to the vehicles they intend to bring into the country."
BMW recently announced plans to bring three electric vehicles to Australia in 2024.
The brand's first new offering, the iX1 eDrive20, is due to arrive between January and March.
Hyundai also revealed plans to open pre-sales for its hot hatch, the Ioniq 5 N, in Australia next week, and Tesla pledged to deliver the first of its redesigned Model 3 electric cars in the country from January.
Carsales road test editor Scott Newman says many Australian drivers will jump on new models as interest in the technology soars.
"New EV searches from Carsales have increased by 1000 per cent, year on year," he told AAP.
"People are looking at new electric cars, they are very interested in it, and they want to adopt the technology."
For World EV Day, Carsales judges including Mr Newman tested six top electric vehicles available in the country, including the MG4, Cupra Born and GWM Ora.
Mr Newman says the panel rated the vehicles on more than 100 criteria in areas such as safety, technology, comfort and driving performance and judged the Tesla Model Y to be the best electric car of the year.
While the battery-electric cars on the Australian market may not suit every driver yet, he says, those who do try the technology are often surprised by it.
"One reason people are buying (an electric car) is because you get in it and it's fun to drive," he said.
"You hit the throttle and they make petrol cars feel really quite lazy."
It's an attribute Anneliese Alexander, from Holsworthy in south-western Sydney, noticed as soon as her family bought a Nissan Leaf as a second car in 2020.
"We absolutely fell in love with the EV lifestyle," she said.
"In diesel cars, you put your foot on the accelerator and it thinks about going whereas EVs are very responsive."
Her family was so taken with the technology, they replaced their diesel car for a Tesla Model 3, and have upgraded it to a Model Y which they intend to take on a road trip through the outback.
Ms Alexander says the family saves $5000 a year in petrol costs but are most excited to be cutting vehicle pollution.
"When you buy an electric car and you're sitting behind an (internal combustion engine) car in traffic, you notice all that pollution coming out of the tailpipe and just think 'what are we doing'," she said.
Australian Associated Press
