An Australian EV lobby is calling for a ban on the sale of gas-powered combustion engine vehicles in order to help the country meet its emission goals in time.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, EV Council chief executive Julie Delvecchio has called for a full ban on the sale of gas-powered cars in order to ensure that Australia can reduce pollution to its targeted 62% by 2035.
A governmental analysis found that electric vehicles must comprise at least half of the cars sold in Australia in the next 10 years to hit the goal.
"We need to set EV targets, and we need more incentives to encourage Australians to make the switch," Delvecchio said, speaking of the findings in the EV Council's State of Electric Vehicles report, released on Tuesday.
The Climate Change Authority's report paints a daunting picture for Australia in hitting its emissions goals. The country must see a massive uptick in renewable energy usage and a massive buy-in from industries in their push for greener industrial practices, like green steel and hydrogen.
The report also noted that the number of EVs sold will need to jump by at least 30% each year between now and 2028 in order to meet emissions targets.
Australia has pollution penalties in place to encourage companies to sell fewer combustion engine vehicles, but it hasn't set any kind of hard-and-fast EV sales goals or a timeline for banning gas-powered cars.
In fact, Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has ruled out the use of gas car bans, saying the market will help to incentivize the push toward EVs. However, Delvecchio said regulations don't go far enough.
"It's clear the federal government's EV policies are working, but all governments need to be doing more to put us on the path to the 2035 climate targets," she told the Herald.
Australia is pushing hard to meet its climate goals and to reduce emissions on the road, but it still has a long road to travel in order to hit its targets in time.
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