Latest news with #NRMA
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Sydney Morning Herald
The range of EVs is surging, but certain fears are holding back sales
Consumer doubts about the longevity of electric vehicle (EV) batteries and the lack of a second-hand market are preventing more people from buying EVs, even as the number of options proliferates. The government forecasts that EVs will one day dominate Australian roads but the latest figures show the proportion of new cars sold that are EVs has slowed to only 5.9 per cent of the market. New research from insurance giant NRMA says key reasons Australians lack confidence in electric cars include doubts over owners' ability to find qualified EV technicians when they need repairs, and concerns about the viability and safety of second-hand EV parts, including batteries. NRMA, which said there were 80 EV models available and more were expected in the coming months, also flagged customer concerns about how to safely dispose of EV batteries at the end of their use. The report, based on interviews with 2079 people including 91 EV owners and 280 individuals considering EV ownership, showed more than 60 per cent of existing owners were concerned about the lack of qualified technicians who could repair them, and almost all of them said they expected their insurer to have access to EV technicians. NRMA Insurance chief executive Julie Batch said the absence of qualified EV technicians was an issue compounded by a national shortage of automotive repair technicians. 'Nationally there are 38,000 unfilled automotive positions right now, and EVs are different. So you need both those skills that are current in automotive technicians, panel beaters, repairers, things like that, and you need to add to those things,' Batch said. She said filling that void would require upskilling an already dwindling industry. The automotive sector has also previously warned of a shortage of technicians to service the growing number of EVs on the roads. The Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce has said the industry would probably need two to three times the current number of qualified EV technicians. An additional 68 per cent of those surveyed by NRMA were concerned about recycling and disposing of EV batteries, and less than one-third of drivers said they'd be comfortable using a recycled battery. They cited fears over battery fires, especially when charging vehicles, despite evidence suggesting EV battery fires are rare.
The Age
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The Age
The range of EVs is surging, but certain fears are holding back sales
Consumer doubts about the longevity of electric vehicle (EV) batteries and the lack of a second-hand market are preventing more people from buying EVs, even as the number of options proliferates. The government forecasts that EVs will one day dominate Australian roads but the latest figures show the proportion of new cars sold that are EVs has slowed to only 5.9 per cent of the market. New research from insurance giant NRMA says key reasons Australians lack confidence in electric cars include doubts over owners' ability to find qualified EV technicians when they need repairs, and concerns about the viability and safety of second-hand EV parts, including batteries. NRMA, which said there were 80 EV models available and more were expected in the coming months, also flagged customer concerns about how to safely dispose of EV batteries at the end of their use. The report, based on interviews with 2079 people including 91 EV owners and 280 individuals considering EV ownership, showed more than 60 per cent of existing owners were concerned about the lack of qualified technicians who could repair them, and almost all of them said they expected their insurer to have access to EV technicians. NRMA Insurance chief executive Julie Batch said the absence of qualified EV technicians was an issue compounded by a national shortage of automotive repair technicians. 'Nationally there are 38,000 unfilled automotive positions right now, and EVs are different. So you need both those skills that are current in automotive technicians, panel beaters, repairers, things like that, and you need to add to those things,' Batch said. She said filling that void would require upskilling an already dwindling industry. The automotive sector has also previously warned of a shortage of technicians to service the growing number of EVs on the roads. The Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce has said the industry would probably need two to three times the current number of qualified EV technicians. An additional 68 per cent of those surveyed by NRMA were concerned about recycling and disposing of EV batteries, and less than one-third of drivers said they'd be comfortable using a recycled battery. They cited fears over battery fires, especially when charging vehicles, despite evidence suggesting EV battery fires are rare.
Courier-Mail
26-05-2025
- Business
- Courier-Mail
Most expensive Aussie city for car parking revealed
Fifty cent public transport fares have done little to stop Brisbane drivers from getting behind the wheel, with the cost of parking more expensive than Sydney, new research reveals. The Queensland capital's CBD has retained its position as Australia's most expensive parking market for the second straight year, with daily casual rates now averaging $80.84 or about $400 a week — surpassing Sydney's $77. Ray White Group's head of research Vanessa Rader said she was surprised so many commuters were still choosing to pay $80 a day for parking, over $1 a day for public transport — one year on from the 50 cent fares being announced. RELATED: Park that! What would you pay to park your car in Australia? 'Why wouldn't you take public transport given there's such a price disparity between parking your car and taking the bus?' Ms Rader said. 'I think there was a lot of interest in taking up 50 cent fares early on, but issues with associated parking, perhaps, at train stations and near buses made it not as easy to utilise services as initially hoped. 'It's good to see (the fares are) still in effect, given the cost of living issues. As traffic and congestion gets worse, the hope… is that people will look at alternatives and it will save them money.' MORE: Origin star Harry Grant adds to growing property portfolio ahead of game 1 First Look: Inside the $15m restoration of this renowned city hotel The research, released today, by Ray White also reflects Brisbane's limited parking supply coupled with stronger office attendance, demonstrated by its 10.2 per cent office vacancy rate. 'If prices are going up, that means that there's demand, which means people are coming into the office, the city's more vibrant, and there's more activity going on,' Ms Rader said. '(Brisbane's) office takeup over the past 12 months has outperformed other places.' But Brisbane parking operators still offer substantial discounts of 55.5 per cent for online bookings and 57.9 per cent for early bird parkers, revealing continued competition for regular commuters despite the market's strength. Melbourne is becoming one of the cheaper markets for parking, with daily rates of $64.43 below 2013 levels ($65.00). This decline mirrors Melbourne's struggling office market, which maintains the highest vacancy rate among Australian CBDs at 18 per cent and continues to experience negative occupied stock change. Sydney's average parking rate of $77 is well below its 2023 peak of $85.05, while Hobart's sits at $18.83 and has the lowest office vacancy rate among all CBDs at just 3.6 per cent. It comes as a recent report revealed the eye watering amount being charged by homeowners to rent vacant car spaces in Brisbane's inner-city area. The Parkin' Mad report by NRMA and Bitzios Consulting found Brisbane drivers were splashing out around $60 a day. A vacant car park at Ballow Chambers in Spring Hill is currently listed for $37,500 a year. Another car park, also in Spring Hill, is listed for sale for $47,500 on while another is listed for rent for $300 a month. NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said part of the reason parking prices had risen to unreasonable levels was due to policies decreasing the number of available parking spots. 'It's a culmination of a number of things: construction and rezoning, the building of cycle paths and building shared paths has seen a lot of parking lost in recent years,' Mr Khoury said. 'Less parking options is obviously going to increase costs.' He said the continued reduction of on-street parking meant more people needed to rely on expensive parking stations and called on the government to set a cap on parking fees. In February, Brisbane City Council reduced car parking requirements for inner-city apartment buildings as part of its Inner-City Affordability Initiative. Property Council Queensland executive director Jess Caire said the decision would help drive down the cost of building inner-city apartments. 'As outlined in our research, car parking is estimated to add an extra $100,000 to the cost of an apartment for 'at grade' car parks, and more for basement car parks,' Ms Caire said. Ms Rader said renting out private car spaces may become more common in Brisbane, particularly given the new parking requirements. 'If there's going to be less parking with new developments, you'd think (renting a car park) could be quite attractive to people,' she said. 'It could be a good little income earner for those who don't have a car.' Additional reporting by Samantha Healy
ABC News
12-05-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Country mayors concerned by NRMA report showing $3.4b road funding backlog
Cash-strapped New South Wales councils are facing mind-boggling backlogs as they struggle to keep road networks up to scratch. An NRMA report estimates it would cost $3.4 billion to bring council-owned roads across the state up to standard after "an unprecedented wave of wet weather events over the past three years". Most of the damage has been done in regional areas, including the Clarence Valley, where the repair bill jumped from about $270 million in 2022-23 to more than $390m in 2023-24. Mayor Ray Smith said he was "not particularly surprised" by the findings. "Clarence Valley Council has one of the largest, longest road networks of any council in NSW," he said. "It's about 3,100 kilometres … trying to maintain that is a very, very expensive process. The Clarence Valley is one of seven councils across NSW with an estimated road maintenance backlog exceeding $100 million. NSW road funding backlogs 2023-24 Source: NRMA The backlogs tend to be less costly in metropolitan areas, where road networks generally cover shorter distances. The biggest backlog in the Sydney area is in Blacktown, where the repair cost is estimated at $84 million. NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury said statewide the backlog had increased by 20 per cent on the previous year. He said the backlog for the Northern Rivers alone was $594.5 million. "Not surprising considering the amount of rain and damage over the last few years that has been done to those councils and their roads," Mr Khoury said. He said numbers in the Northern Rivers were likely to get "even worse" next year when the effects of ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred were factored in. Country Mayors Association of NSW chair Rick Firman said the statistics were "very, very confronting". "It actually just hits you right between the eyes … how dire the situation is," he said. "It cannot continue in the manner that it is. "We need help and we want to partner and assist with our federal and state governments along this journey, but again, the old saying — if you haven't got socks on, you can't pull them up." NSW Roads and Regional Transport Minister Jenny Aitchison said the report was being reviewed but was "generally consistent" with what was already known. "In response to the increasing impact of natural disasters on the road network in our state, the 2024-25 NSW budget delivered $3.3 billion to rebuild road and transport infrastructure damaged by multiple severe weather events, which hit regional NSW the hardest," she said in a statement. NSW was allocated $3 billion in road safety funding over the next 10 years in the 2024-25 federal budget. The Commonwealth will provide about $630 million in road funding grants to NSW councils in 2025-26 under programs including Roads to Recovery and Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure. But Wagga Wagga Mayor Dallas Tout said a longer-term solution was needed. "We'll get different pockets of money, but there's no long-term systemic solution at this stage," he said. "We'll get splashes of cash, but there's not the ongoing funding and that's what needs to happen. "That's what needs to be ongoing into the future — recurrent funding."
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Tesla driver slammed over reckless stunt on busy road that could cost him $2,200
Disturbing footage has emerged of a Tesla driver using a road shoulder to speed past and undertake several cars on a busy highway. A frightened driver whose dashcam captured the incident was among those past by the Tesla at St Ives on Sydney 's upper north shore on Friday morning. They later shared dashcam of the incident to a northern beaches community Facebook page to accuse the motorist of being 'reckless'. 'What was your reason? Must have been a pretty good emergency!' they captioned the footage. The dashcam showed the recording car travelling in the inside lane when the Tesla sped up beside it in the left road shoulder. The EV overtook the car before weaving back onto the road and sped past more vehicles in the outside lane. The dashcam driver claimed the right lane was travelling about 88km/h in a 90km/h zone, prompting stunned viewers to question if the Tesla was speeding. 'How do these people have a licence?' one wrote. The Tesla driver was slammed as 'stupid' and 'reckless' after dashcam capturing the EV weaving in and out of traffic was shared online Another added: 'We all get impatient at times with slow cars in the right lane but this is insane.' A third wrote: 'No emergency is worth risking other people. Hopefully they lose their licence.' Other viewers labelled the Tesla driver as 'stupid' and urged the dashcam motorist to take the footage to police. An NRMA road safety expert also weighed in slam the Tesla driver. 'There is no excuse for this behaviour on our roads,' they told Yahoo News 'Roads rules are in place for a reason and everyone needs to obey them. 'The growing prevalence of dashcam and security camera footage on our roads means that these drivers are increasingly more likely to get caught.' NSW Police confirmed that any motorist caught driving in a similar manner would likely face heavy fines and loss of demerit points. Motorists are also risk losing their registration plates or have their vehicle seized, depending on the nature of the offending. Unsafely overtaking a vehicle can result in a $410 fine and two demerit points while undertaking a car could see a driver fined $227 and two demerit points. Other offences could include negligent driving - with a fine of $544 and three demerit points, or reckless or dangerous driving - which could incur a fine of up to $2,200 or up to nine months in prison. Undertaking is typically illegal in Australia with the action only permitted in limited circumstances, including if another vehicle if it is waiting to turn right or if the vehicle ahead is stationary.
