How China's Hybrid EV Utes are changing the game in Australia
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News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
How the Albanese Government plans to revolutionise the taxes you pay for driving a car
Australia's new tax on electric vehicle drivers is set to kick off with a trial period for trucks before it stings cars. can reveal that the Albanese Government is looking at a staged rollout to test the proposed new EV tax and trucks will be the first cab off the rank. It is also interested in a new road user charge that sends price signals on the best time to be on the road, or the freeway. Over time, it could replace petrol taxes and apply to all cars based on distance travelled and when cars and trucks are on the road to tackle congestion. Free ride for EVs nearly over The free ride enjoyed by drivers of electric vehicles is coming to a close with Treasurer Jim Chalmers and state governments finalising plans for a new road-user charge. All Australian motorists who buy petrol and diesel at the bowser pay 51.6 cents a litre in fuel excise. But drivers of EV vehicles pay nothing. 'The status quo won't be sustainable over the next decade or two,'' Treasurer Jim Chalmers told 'As more and more people get off petrol cars and into EVs we've got to make sure that the tax arrangements support investment in roads. 'But we're in no rush, changes of this nature will be made, because the status quo won't work in 10 or 20 years.' The Treasurer made no secret of his support for a road user charge before the election, but favours a staged rollout of the changes. Based on a planned NSW road user scheme, a national rollout will depend on your mileage but might cost between $300 and $400 a year. Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas said that electric vehicles are 'heavier and do more damage to the road network as a consequence than do internal combustion engine vehicles'. 'By giving drivers a clear signal about the cost of infrastructure, they would have an incentive to use it more efficiently,' the Productivity Commission report said. How does fuel excise work? The current rate of fuel excise is 51.6 cents in excise for every litre of fuel purchased. For a typical household with a car running on petrol, the tax costs more than $1200 a year. But the flat sales tax isn't paid by drivers of pure electric vehicles, who simply need to plug in their cars to recharge. While registration and driver's licence fees go to state and territory governments, fuel excise is collected by the federal government. Australian motorists paid an estimated $15.71 billion in net fuel excise in 2023-24, and are expected to pay $67.6 billion over the four years to 2026-27. However, governments have long-warned that a road-user charge will be required to fill the gap in the budget left by declining revenue from the fuel excise, as the petrol and diesel engines in new cars consume less fuel and Australians adopt hybrid and electric cars. What does the AAA say? The Australian Automobile Association (AAA) is calling for a national approach to road-user charging but wants a guarantee the revenue will be earmarked for road upgrades. The AAA backs a distance-based road-user charging as a fairer and more equitable way to fund land transport infrastructure. The 2024 federal budget forecasted a reduction in fuel excise receipts by $470 million over four years from 2024-25. Roadblocks to reform Currently, New South Wales is the only state with firm plans to introduce a road-user charge from 2027 or when EVs reach 30 per cent of new car sales. Plug-in hybrid EVs will be charged a fixed 80 per cent proportion of the full road-user charge to reflect their vehicle type. Western Australia has also stated an intention to implement a road-user charge. Meanwhile, Victoria's electric vehicle levy had to be scrapped following a ruling from the High Court. Two Victorian electric car owners launched a legal challenge on the basis the tax was not legal as it was an excise that only a federal government could impose. They won, with the High Court upholding the legal challenge. There have been several false starts to enshrine a road-user charge including in South Australia, where the former Liberal Government planned to introduce a charge for plug-in electric and other zero emission vehicles, which included a fixed component and a variable charge based on distance travelled. It was later pushed back to 2027 due to a backlash before the legislation was ultimately repealed. 'Gold standard' for reform Some experts argue the gold standard for reform is a variable rate that factors in the vehicle's mass, distance travelled, location, and time of day. But there's a big barrier to the Commonwealth imposing those charges because the Constitution prohibits it from imposing taxes that discriminate between states or parts of states.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Thrill of racing entices more women into motorsport breaking down stereotypes
The throbbing sound of a revving V8 engine and the intoxicating smell of diesel and rubber tyres are all part of the appeal of car meets. But it's not only men flocking to car meets across the country — women dig cars too. And now more women are getting involved in the sport on the track and behind the scenes. Car enthusiast Deb Myers never dreamed of racing until she met her husband Ian Crabbe about six years ago. Now she loves the thrill of it. "We recently drag raced at Palmyra Dragway in Mackay and my best time was 10.67 for the quarter mile," Ms Myers said. For the first few years she and her husband would time their trip around the track, also known as a hot lap, taking turns racing in his 2008 Clubsport Holden Commodore. But now they do that in their own identical, supercharged, colour-matched cars, mainly at their local, the Springmount Raceway near Mareeba in Far North Queensland. "And there's quite a lot of ladies that drag race up at Springmount and we always say 'girl power' to them." Mr Crabbe has enjoyed watching his wife blossom in the sport and become increasingly involved in regular car meets. "The car community is very welcoming and more women are embracing it and giving racing a go and I really applaud it," he said. In her 30 years in the industry, self-confessed automotive addict and racing commentator Lara Wilde has seen women become more active, including in racing, behind the scenes as pit crew, attending car meets and in leadership roles. "I'm seeing more women getting a profile in motorsport, not because they are women, but because they are exceptional," Ms Wilde said. She believes it has opened the door for other women to pursue their passion. "It's important for women to be welcomed into the car community and to feel safe and respected," Ms Wilde said. She welcomed a national push to get more women into motorsport. "We're seeing women like Betty Klimenko, who is the first woman to own a V8 Supercar team in Australia. "And Formula One is on a mission to put the first permanent woman driver on the grid of Formula One." Earlier this year, teens Joanne Ciconte and Aiva Anagnostiadis represented Australia in the all-female Formula 1 Academy series for the first time. Motorsport Australia, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA)-appointed not-for-profit organisation, said more women were entering the industry nationally, both on and off the track. "Once you're behind the wheel, it's completely gender-free." But Ms Barlow said the initial break into the industry was often a barrier to women, and she believed changing this was an industry-wide responsibility. She said the organisation's Girls on Track program had helped to address the gender imbalance in the male-dominated industry. More than 3,500 girls have completed the program since it launched in 2018, with many pursuing a career in motorsport in varied roles including engineering, team management and coordination. An early introduction to the sport worked for commentator Lara Wilde, who has fostered a love of cars since her youth. Once a hobby, it led to a career that sees her booked 46 out of 52 weekends a year. "I do Summernats, which is the biggest burnout show in Australia, plus Red Nats, Northern Nats, Rocky Nats and all the Nats." Ms Wilde is keen to see even more women challenging stereotypes by pursuing a career in motorsport. Already doing this is Leonie Pollard, a judge at Cairns' NQ Burnouts and Tropical Meltdown and Powerfest in Mackay. "They were looking for a judge for NQ Burnouts about five years ago and my son threw my name in the ring," Ms Pollard said. But she said female judges were still a minority, which she attributed to outdated stereotypes. "I also think social media is partly to blame as men can be quite disgusting with their comments about women on car pages," she said. "They pick on women's looks and their driving and they can be really hurtful." However Ms Pollard, whose children and grandchildren attended races, said many men were supportive of women in the industry, with some even introducing their partners or daughters to the scene. She said women also tended to rally around each other. As the grandmother prepared for her next north Queensland event, she said she had no intention of getting behind the wheel herself. "I worked as pit crew for drag racing many years ago but preferred working in the background because it costs a lot less," she said. "It is an expensive hobby."
Sydney Morning Herald
7 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Nvidia supercomputer marks ‘new era' for Australian AI
Nvidia, the world's most valuable company, is teaming with Monash University and Dell to build an Australia-first supercomputer that promises to elevate the country into the AI big leagues. The supercomputer, dubbed MAVERIC and built in collaboration with CDC Data Centres, will be purpose-built for large-scale AI and data-intensive workloads and feature technology never before deployed in the country. MAVERIC will be housed at CDC's facility in the Melbourne suburb of Brooklyn, with construction to begin later this year. The system is expected to go live in early 2026, and was the subject of a meeting between Australia's ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd, Assistant Minister for Science Andrew Charlton and Nvidia executives on Wednesday morning. 'Without this kind of AI super-computer power, Australian researchers are trying to compete on the world stage with one arm tied behind their back,' Monash University vice-chancellor Sharon Pickering said in an interview. 'We are making a $60 million investment here so that Australia can be world leaders, and not just be willing to take second place. We have to be willing to be the best in the world and for our world-leading researchers; my job is to get them the best infrastructure in the world to support them.' MAVERIC will initially focus on advancing medical research, Pickering said, including developing new pharmaceutical products and personalising treatments for patients suffering from acute medical conditions. It will also focus on environmental issues including a study of the Antarctic and research into the impact of heat on populations. It will be available to university researchers and academics, students and research partners. The supercomputer will be built using Dell racks and servers and feature Nvidia's GB200 NVL72 platform. Amid debate about Australia's role in the global AI arms race, Dell Australia managing director Angela Fox said that MAVERIC represented a 'leapfrogging' opportunity for the nation in its AI capabilities. 'It allows researchers to use increasingly sophisticated AI models to tackle some of Australia and the world's most pressing issues and will deliver lasting value for the nation,' she said. 'It's a massive win for the research community and for Australia as a whole.'
