Electric vehicles (EVs) are hailed as the key to a cleaner, cheaper future, but the world’s biggest EV brand, Tesla, is facing a crisis.
With global sales dropping, rising competition, and CEO Elon Musk facing backlash, questions are being raised about whether Australia’s transition to electric vehicles could open the door for new, more affordable alternatives.
In a recent episode of The Briefing, we sat down with Sarah Aubrey from Electrify This to unpack what Tesla’s struggles mean for the Australian market.
While the global EV market continues to grow, Aubrey points out that Tesla is not immune to challenges.
“EV sales have gone slightly backwards. They’re 7.5 per cent last month, less than a year ago, but they’re still going up year on year,” Aubrey said.
“It’s not just a moment, it’s a transition,” she said.
Despite a slight dip in Australian sales, the overall trend remains positive, especially as countries like China see over 50 per cent of new car sales including electric and hybrid models.
For Australian consumers, EVs are becoming more accessible.
Aubrey highlighted affordable models like the BYD Dolphin, with a base price of $29,990 before on-road costs.
Australia is also building the infrastructure to support the growing EV market, with an increasing number of charging stations across the country.
“The network is just growing and growing. It’s quite extraordinary,” Aubrey said.
She also addressed concerns about range anxiety, noting that over 80 per cent of EV owners charge at home, with public charging stations increasingly available for those who don’t have access to home charging.
“There’s a lot of dis and misinformation out there… that people go, maybe they’re not quite there yet. And that’s very deliberate because we’ve got a lot of legacy car makers that only have hybrids on offer. And so they’re trying to push you into what they have right now because they haven’t shifted to EVs.”
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