The majority of electric vehicles sold in Australia in 2022 came from China and were purchased by private buyers, while the ACT continues to lead all other states and territories in electric vehicle adoption.
Here are some takeaways from a summary of the Australian low-emissions market published by leading automotive brand body, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), using its VFACTS sales data.
These promised quarterly reports appear to be a response to the Electric Vehicle Council, which has made inroads as a THE advocacy group for EV adoption and to drive policy decisions.
Australians took delivery of 33,410 battery electric vehicles in 2022, a six-fold year-on-year (YoY) growth on paper – offset by the fact that Tesla has only started releasing sales figures local than last year, distorting the data.
This equates to a market share of around 3%, with a growth trajectory pointing to a much higher figure in 2023 – the EV share sits north of 6% until the end of February 2023.
Over the course of 2022, we’ve seen the EV market increasingly favor crossover SUV body styles over traditional passenger cars, much of which coincided with the launch of the highly anticipated Tesla Model Y around mid-2020. the year and BYD Atto 3 a few months later.
“This is consistent with other markets around the world. The availability of battery-electric models in the preferred light and heavy-duty commercial segments of the market remains limited and is expected to remain so through current model cycles,” the FCAI adds – although we add that there are a number of minivans electric here or to come this year.
Crucially, the summary also notes that the adoption of electric vehicles is still dominated by the private market rather than fleets, which clearly indicates that government benefit tax cuts for companies that purchase vehicles from battery were a wise decision to develop the park.
EV sales by buyer type in 2022
- Private market: 24,534
- Professional fleets: 8125
- Government fleets: 488
- Rental fleets: 269
In total, around 80% of electric vehicles sold here in 2022 were made in China, which is a point worth noting for those focusing on geopolitics.
All Teslas sold here are from Giga Shanghai, while other bestsellers such as the BYD Atto 3, Polestar 2, and MG ZS EV are also made there. China dominates the global electric vehicle chain, although Europe and the United States are working on ways to change this through policy levers.
EV sales by country of origin in 2022
- China: 26,426
- Korea: 3555
- Germany: 2426
- England: 792
- Japan: 137
EV sales by region
One of the most interesting takeaways is the difference in EV usage between states and territories, all of which offer some form of subsidy or tax relief for EV buyers.
The Northern Territory is an exception in that electric vehicles are almost non-existent there, while in the ACT the market share of electric vehicles was 8.0%. The ACT government is offering electric vehicle buyers stamp duty waivers, free registration and zero-interest loans to spur adoption.
Sales and share of electric vehicles by region
- New South Wales : 10,798 EV sales, 3.2% EV market share
- Victoria: 9,496 electric vehicle sales, 3.3% electric vehicle market share
- Queensland: 6,696 electric vehicle sales, 2.8% electric vehicle market share
- WASHINGTON: 3,078 electric vehicle sales, 2.9% electric vehicle market share
- HER : 1426 EV sales, 2.1% EV market share
- LAW: 1,300 electric vehicle sales, 8.0% electric vehicle market share
- Tasmania: 571 sales, 3.0% market share of electric vehicles
- NT: 68 sales, 0.7% market share of electric vehicles
Top 10 EV brands in 2022
- Tesla: 19,594
- Hyundai: 2432
- BYD: 2113
- Polestar: 1524
- Volvo: 1474
- BMW: 1293
- Mercedes-Benz: 1153
- MG: 1119
- KIA: 949
- Min: 455
Top 10 electric vehicle models by sales in 2022
