International electric vehicle policy scan

Chief investigator

AP Scott Dwyer, UTS

Purpose of project

• Australia is at a critical juncture in the electrification of its transport sector. Transport is projected to become Australia’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and while EV adoption has accelerated, close to 90% of new car purchases remain fossil-fueled, which could lock in emissions for the next 15–20 years.
• Australia has committed to a 2035 emissions target of 62–70% below 2005 levels and is playing a lead role in COP31 in 2026, but the pathway to those targets depends on getting EV policy settings right.
• Multiple policy debates (Fringe Benefits Tax exemption, road user charging, charging infrastructure investment, industry regulation) are all in play at once, with limited domestic evidence to guide their design.
• The project draws together international policy experience across six areas, light vehicles, heavy vehicles, energy, charging, enabling industries, and consumer adoption, to build an evidence base for Australia’s next phase of EV market development.

Impact of project

This project:

• Provides an accessible, evidence-based reference on how leading jurisdictions have designed and adapted EV policy, and what that means for Australia.
• Identifies four cross-cutting themes to guide Australia’s approach: policy sequencing and durability; coordinated national-to-local charging frameworks; equity by design; and Australia’s engagement in international regulatory and standards-setting.
• Supports the Electric Vehicle Council, government stakeholders and industry in navigating the policy decisions currently on the table.
• Contributes to a more coherent policy discussion during a period where several major decisions are converging in short succession.
• Sets up follow-on research on the industrial-policy and political-economy dimensions of EV transitions.

Project partners