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- A report commissioned by Uber shows that almost half of Australian would be willing to pay more for a rideshare if it was an electric vehicle.
- Uber Australia has weighed in on Australia's EV debate and reiterating its commitment to transforming its fleet, as industry heavyweights publish an open letter slamming Victoria's proposed new tax on electric vehicles.
- The letter was co-signed by 25 organisations including Hyundai, Volkswagen, Uber, Jetcharge, the Clean Energy Council, Solar Citizens, Doctors for the Environment Australia and the Australia Institute.
- Visit Business Insider Australia's homepage for more stories.
Uber has released a report highlighting Australia's enthusiasm to join the rest of the world in the embrace of electric vehicles - right as a collective of industry heavyweights publish a letter that calls out a new EV tax in Victoria.
The research commissioned by Uber Australia found that 45% of the country would be willing to pay more for access to greener transport options, and three in five Australians believe that the transport sector is a significant contributor to climate change.
Most significantly for the rideshare company, it found that two in five Australians would be willing to pay an extra $2 or more per trip for an electric rideshare vehicle.
Uber Australia's report also reflected Australians' concerns about EV uptake in-line with criticism levelled by advocates for electric vehicles, namely access and affordability.
Around one in three respondents said that access to electric rideshare options would help incentivise using electric vehicles as their main form of transportation, and 48% said that not being taxed would help incentivise using electric vehicles as their main mode of transportation.
68% of those surveyed said they think government-subsidised options would encourage more electric vehicle usage overall.
Globally, Uber has strongly promoted its investment in sustainability, expanding Uber Green, its EV fleet, and committing $800 million in resources it says will help its drivers transition to EVs by 2025.
In a statement accompanying the report, Dom Taylor, general manager for Uber Australia and New Zealand said the research showed Australians are ready to embrace EVs but need to be empowered to do so.
"As Australia leads the world in COVID recovery, we have an opportunity to change the way we think about the new normal - with electric vehicles at the forefront of travel," he said.
"The public and private sectors need to work together to give them the opportunity to do so and respond to the demand."
Taylor said the company had also made a commitment to having 100% of its trips take place on zero-emission vehicles or through micro mobility and public transport globally by 2040.
The statement suggests Australia's well-publicised delays in gearing up for sustainable transport is now receiving international attention.
Only 0.75% of new cars sold in Australia in 2020 were electric vehicles, compared to 8.1% in the state of California in the US, and 10.7% in the UK.
Analysis by Bloomberg's commodity markets research arm, BloombergNEF, has projected that Australia's inconsistent state and federal policy initiatives will mean electric vehicles will account for only 18% of all new vehicle sales in Australia in 2030.
The push for EV uptake by the wider automotive sector, including the world's largest rideshare company, comes as industry demands remain out of step with government policy. The Victorian government's electric vehicle tax, proposed on March 17, was met with disbelief by advocates.
Now, a coalition of car manufacturers, industry groups, infrastructure companies and environmentalists have spoken out in an open letter published in the Age newspaper on Thursday.
The full-page advertisement called the Victorian government's proposed electric vehicle tax the "worst electric vehicle policy in the world," and was co-signed by 25 organisations including Hyundai, Volkswagen, Uber, Jetcharge, the Clean Energy Council, Solar Citizens, Doctors for the Environment Australia and the Australia Institute.
"This new tax means the world's manufacturers are far less likely to send Victorians their best, most affordable, zero emissions vehicles," the letter states.
"That makes things much harder for Victorian families who want to buy and drive electric."
The proposed Victorian plan will make electric vehicle drivers pay by the kilometre, a measure critics say will kill the market - the take-up of electric vehicles in Victoria is currently a miniscule 0.7% - before it has the chance to become established.
The Victorian state government has countered with the argument that the tax will ensure a fair contribution towards paying for road use, because EV drivers don't pay the fuel excise.
The system would require EV drivers to keep a logbook of their travels from July this year that will then be used to calculate a charge of 2.5 cents/km to be paid when they renew their registration.
Michael Bartsch, the managing director of Volkswagen Group Australia, described the proposal to Guardian Australia as an "anomaly".
"Volkswagen does not ask for incentives to import zero emissions vehicles," Bartsch said, however he believes the new tax is a disincentive that will only further delay car manufacturers' ability to offer EVs to the Australian public.
The Senate economics references committee will review a private members bill put forward by Victorian Greens senator Janet Rice on Thursday.
The bill proposes that Victoria and any other state that targets electric vehicles with a tax forfeit GST revenue equal to the money raised by the measure, with Rice suggesting the hearing will be an opportunity for public scrutiny of the state's EV tax and will reveal the national implications of Victoria moving ahead to implement the policy.
"All other developed countries have clear targets to cut pollution from cars," Rice said, adding that Australia is "the only OECD country without mandatory fuel-efficiency standards for road passenger vehicles."
"Governments should be implementing policies that help phase out the internal combustion engine, not putting taxes on their cleaner competitors."