Latest news with #ElectricCar
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Automotive
- News.com.au
Comment: EV road user tax ‘makes no sense'
COMMENT: Electric car owners should pay their way, but now isn't the time to smash them with a new tax. If the government is serious about improving air quality, reducing the nation's reliance on foreign energy sources and reaching carbon emissions goals, it shouldn't discourage people from choosing electric cars. It's like tackling on the obesity problem by introducing a salad tax. It makes no sense. Hitting EV owners with an extra $500 per year – or thereabouts – in road user fees will only discourage people from going green. Yes, electric car owners do not pay the fuel excise tax that helps build and repair our roads. I reckon that's a fair price to pay, at least today, for the broader social benefits of electric cars. There are more EVs on sale than ever, and the price gap between petrol and electric cars continues to shrink. But electric cars still struggle for traction. Aussie drivers have bought 54,364 electric cars this year – just 97 more than the same period in 2024. You could hardly call that growth. Especially when sales of other vehicle types continue to grow, and electric vehicle market share has slipped from 7.4 to 7.0 per cent this year. Introducing a new pay-by-the-mile tax on electric cars would only serve to push motorists away from zero emission vehicles, back toward combustion-powered cars. And EVs need all the help they can get. Hyundai just launched the Ioniq 9, an electric cousin to the Santa Fe and Palisade. The electric model starts at about $130,000 drive-away, roughly double the asking price of its combustion-powered cousins. Kia's electric EV9 is outsold by the combustion-powered Sorento by about 30 to 1, and Volkswagen's battery-powered ID. 4 and ID. 5 duo are outsold 10 to 1 by the petrol Tiguan. Over at Toyota, deliveries of the electric bZ4X represent just 0.3 per cent of its 142,700 sales this year. EVs are here. Customers just aren't choosing them. There are headlines just about every day from car companies trying to figure out how to handle EVs in Australia. Hyundai says it has done 'a terrible job' convincing customers to make the switch, Honda says there is 'a lot of noise' surrounding EVs while people quietly buy hybrids and Suzuki, plainly, says they 'just don't think the Australian market wants them'. They might be right. We quizzed more than 50,000 readers earlier this year as part of The Great Aussie Debate and found that only 14.9 per cent of people were considering an EV for their next car. That represented a drop from 18.9 per cent in 2023. The government wants us to get behind the wheel of electric cars, even if we don't want to choose them. A new tax is a strange way to try and change that.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Automotive
- The Guardian
Road tax for Australian EV users ‘sensible', Tanya Plibersek says ahead of key economic summit
Electric car drivers could be hit with a road tax, with the federal MP Tanya Plibersek framing it a 'sensible' move as more people switch to EVs. Ahead of the federal government's productivity roundtable next week, the idea of a road tax has been floated as an idea to ensure money is set aside for road upkeep. The possibility was flagged by the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, during a speech in June. Chalmers had said he was working with the states and territories 'on the future of road-user charging' for EVs. Transport industry leaders met on Monday ahead of next week's roundtable. Sign up: AU Breaking News email While the federal government has maintained the issue was for states and territories, the minister for social services, Tanya Plibersek, said a tax for EV users made sense. 'I don't think anything's happening tomorrow, but I do think it's sensible … for the states and territories, to look long term at what they do, to make sure that there's enough money to build the roads that people want to drive on,' she told Seven's Sunrise program. 'It's no secret that as the number of petrol vehicles and diesel vehicles goes down, the tax from fuel excise decreases [and] that means less money for building and maintaining roads. 'The states and territories have been looking at this for some time.' Money collected as part of the fuel excise is allocated for fixing roads but concerns have been raised there will be less set aside in coming years as the number of EVs on the roads increases. Victoria tried to put in place a 2c per kilometre charge on EV users in 2023 but the proposal was overruled by the high court. New Zealand has a scheme in place for road-user charges for EVs, with petrol cars soon to be added to the tax. The Coalition senator Jane Hume said more needed to be done to fix ailing roads, which a broader road tax could achieve. 'The fuel excise has been a shrinking tax base, and it's one of the few taxes that's hypothecated for road maintenance,' she told Sky News. 'The rise of EVs is something that has happened exponentially in the last few years. 'We want to make sure that those EV users are making sure that they're responsible for road maintenance in the same way that petrol and diesel car users are.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
'Outstanding' new electric SUV achieves record-breaking safety score: 'We've raised the bar for ourselves'
Electric car manufacturer Lynk & Co. International recently shattered records with the highest-ever Euro NCAP safety score for a compact SUV, CleanTechnica reported. The European New Car Assessment Programme is an independent nonprofit organization that tests and rates automobiles on a five-star safety system. And Lynk & Co.'s 02, a fully electric compact SUV with a 200-kilowatt engine, clinched the spot as the safest vehicle in its class in 2025. "With outstanding results across all assessment categories — including the highest-ever recorded rating of 89% for Safety Assistance — the 02 is setting a new safety benchmark in its segment," CleanTechnica stated. The vehicle also achieved "outstanding" scores in Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, and Vulnerable Road User Protection. "Safety has always been a core pillar of our product strategy, and with the Lynk & Co. 02, we've raised the bar for ourselves — and for the entire segment," vice president of product and strategy David Green said in a news release. "This recognition reinforces our commitment to building vehicles that are not only innovative and sustainable but also among the safest on the road." Another often overlooked aspect of vehicular safety is air pollution, both inside and outside of the car — but it's one category wherein all electric vehicle models excel. That's because these vehicles don't burn oil for fuel, so they don't release the polluting gases that have been linked with severe health impacts and global heating. To put it in perspective, one MIT study found that diesel-burning cars emit nearly twice as much pollution per mile over their lifetimes than EVs — a difference of 350 grams of carbon dioxide per mile to 200. In addition to improved health and safety, many drivers are choosing to upgrade to EVs for the ease of ownership and lower costs. Since EVs don't have engines, they need far less expensive maintenance over their lifetimes. And obviously, they have no associated gasoline costs. Making the switch is a particularly savvy move for those with home solar panels, as charging a car with solar power brings both car and energy costs down to near zero. If you're interested in getting a quote from a vetted local installer, the free tools at EnergySage are a great place to start — using them helps the average person save up to $10,000 on a solar installation. Would you be more likely to get an EV if it came with a free home charger? Definitely Depends what the car costs Depends how fast it charges Not really Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Auto Express
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Express
Suzuki's first EV has already dropped in price
Suzuki is the latest manufacturer to respond to the Government's Electric Car Grant by announcing a £3,750 price cut for its new e-Vitara. The e-Vitara is Suzuki's first – and so far only – pure-electric car, so it's the only model in the firm's range that can benefit from any electric car incentive. The 'Suzuki Granted' discount of £3,750 mirrors the Government's Band 1 amount rather than the £1,500 Band 2 grant. Advertisement - Article continues below We've seen the first manufacturer – Citroen – officially confirmed as qualifying for the Government grant, and other brands such as Suzuki have declared their own grants in an attempt to keep buyers interested while they await news of their eligibility. In short, only cars that meet the Government's strict rules regarding emissions based on production, assembly and sourcing of materials will be able to qualify for grants of £1,500 or £3,750 – depending on how well they perform. We expect more manufacturers to join Citroen in the coming weeks, although Suzuki's offer will run up until 31 December – possibly suggesting the brand doesn't think it'll meet the Government's criteria to qualify for a grant. With Suzuki's £3,750 offer in place, the e-Vitara now starts at £26,249 in 49kWh Motion guise with two-wheel drive. The larger-battery 61kWh model comes in at £29,249, while the cheapest all-wheel-drive e-Vitara with the same battery starts at £31,249. The Suzuki Granted offer also includes a free Ohme home charger. If those prices don't interest you, don't forget you can always check out the Auto Express Find a Car service for amazing deals on loads of used electric cars . Find a car with the experts Car Deal of the Day: MGS5 EV for under £200 a month is a true bargain Car Deal of the Day: MGS5 EV for under £200 a month is a true bargain The ZS EV's replacement is an excellent small electric SUV, and our Deal of the Day for August 4 BYD gives up on EV grant, and offers five years of maintenance instead BYD gives up on EV grant, and offers five years of maintenance instead With a Government grant looking unlikely, BYD has announced a new warranty and maintenance scheme to tempt buyers How green is an EV? BMW reveals the surprise truth about EV vs ICE carbon footprints How green is an EV? BMW reveals the surprise truth about EV vs ICE carbon footprints The new BMW iX3 will have less of a carbon footprint than the petrol-powered X3 after just 12,428 miles of driving
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tesla stock drops on Musk's battle with Trump over new political 'America Party,' loss of EV tax credits
Tesla (TSLA) stock is sliding on Monday after CEO Elon Musk's latest foray into politics once again challenges President Trump. Separately, Wall Street is growing concerned over the loss of EV tax credits and regulatory credits stemming from Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill." Over the weekend, Musk polled users on X about whether he should start an independent party called the American Party to challenge the government's status quo. Musk continued his complaints that Trump's bill would do nothing to rein in the deficit and offers little in terms of benefits to the American people. "By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!" Musk said. "Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom." Tesla stock slipped over 7% in Monday trading. Trump and Musk supporters hoped a recent detente would settle the matter, but it erupted again with Musk's latest foray. "I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely 'off the rails,' essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks," Trump responded in a Truth Social post. "He even wants to start a Third Political Party, despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States - The System seems not designed for them." Musk's past strong critiques of the bill led to a massive falling out with Trump, with Tesla and Musk's other businesses like SpaceX caught in the crosshairs. The battle between the two was too much for even Tesla bulls and investors to bear, who saw the stock pummelled a few weeks back before recovering. "Very simply Musk diving deeper into politics and now trying to take on the Beltway establishment is exactly the opposite direction that Tesla investors/shareholders want him to take," Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote. "After leaving the Trump Administration and DOGE there was initial relief from Tesla shareholders and big supporters ... That relief lasted a very short time and now has taken a turn for the worst with this latest announcement." As if the political battles weren't enough, Trump also responded to a feature of the bill Musk privately groused over. "It is a Great Bill but, unfortunately for Elon, it eliminates the ridiculous Electric Vehicle (EV) Mandate, which would have forced everyone to buy an Electric Car in a short period of time," Trump said on Truth Social. "I have been strongly opposed to that from the very beginning." Read more: How to avoid Tesla car insurance sticker shock The loss of the $7,500 tax credit, which will expire on September 30, would be a huge loss from a demand point of view for EV makers like Tesla but also legacy automakers like GM and Ford. Tesla's second quarter deliveries missed the mark despite full availability of the EV tax credit. But the bill went further and threatened a big moneymaker for Tesla — regulatory credits sales. "Instead of dismantling the CAFE [EPA fuel economy] standards, the BBB removed the teeth by reducing the fines for not hitting the mile-per-gallon targets to zero. This followed Congress's removal in May of the California Air Resources Board's (CARB) ability to enforce stricter regulations than federal EPA mandates," William Blair's Jed Dorsheimer wrote in a note to clients on Monday. Dorsheimer explained that the combined result means automakers that do not meet these standards no longer incur fines, eliminating market demand for Tesla's credits. Tesla earned $2.8 billion in revenue from selling credits in 2024, or 16% of the company's total gross profit. "We estimate that 75% of Tesla's regulatory credit revenue is related to the CAFE standards, which we account for in our model from the third quarter of this year and zero out in 2027," Dorsheimer wrote, resulting in a big hit to Tesla's bottom line. Blair and Dorsheimer downgraded Tesla stock to Market Perform (the equivalent of Hold) from Outperform (Buy). "We expect the impacts from the BBB to sour momentum and [Tesla's] multiple premium to be put under pressure," Dorsheimer wrote. "After Street estimates reset, we will look for more datapoints on the robotaxi rollout to rebuild investor confidence." Pras Subramanian is the lead auto reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on X and on Instagram. Sign in to access your portfolio
