By Jo Nova
The good news never ends for the forced transition to electric cars
The latest surveys show Australians are rapidly losing interest in buying an EV (even if they do make the weather nicer a hundred years from now):
Australia’s electric vehicle market has hit the skids, with drivers stepping back from new purchases, citing fears over hidden costs and long-term battery uncertainty. A new report from Australia’s biggest auto classifieds site, Carsales, has unearthed that consumers are cooling towards battery-powered vehicles despite a fierce market battle between Chinese-owned BYD and Tesla.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but this (below) sounds like an EV salesman trying not to say that 64% of Australians won’t even consider an EV:
Carsales’s latest EV Consumer Survey has revealed that electric vehicle consideration among Australian drivers has levelled out at 36 per cent, highlighting the market’s abrupt halt.
Except, from another source, it’s 70% who won’t consider buying an EV.
Lifetime EV consideration has again dropped, with only 30% of respondents ever considering an EV. This continued drop from 56% (June 2022) likely reflects the cost of living crisis and a decrease in disposable income for the average person.
A backlash to the high tech vehicle
Interestingly, even though Millennials (aged 25-35) are the age-group most likely to consider buying an EV, their younger brothers and sisters in Gen Z (18-24) were more attached to petrol engines:
Some drivers, particularly Generation Z — those born from 1997 to 2012 — cited a stronger connection to traditional internal combustion engine cars. Mr Booth found this counter-intuitive, stating, “you would think that they would be more technologically advanced, because that’s what they grew up… but this seems to be this throwback.”
Perhaps they’ve heard about the latest Volvo EV recall? These hapless owners of one-year-old cars have been told not to charge them more than 70% full, because there is a danger they might catch fire. Ominously, there is no fix available, yet. Volvo says that when a remedy is available they will notify the owners. Doesn’t that make you feel good?
So nearly 3000 Volvo EV owners now have a much shorter range “indefinitely”.
As MGuy points out this follows straight on from Mercedes having to do a big recall for the same fire risk.
Not so coincidentally, the Labor Government has just announced some free money so more rich people can buy an EV:
Labor turns to cheap loans to shore up electric vehicle demand as budgets tighten
Taxpayers shopping for a new electric vehicle will be offered a $1900 sweetener, under the Albanese government’s latest bid to boost uptake and align motorists with Labor’s ambitious climate targets.
In a discount loan scheme, electric vehicles priced below the luxury car tax threshold of $91,378 will qualify for interest rate discounts of between 0.5 and 1 percentage point.
No matter what the question is, the answer is always to steal purchasing power from the poor and give it to Labor’s inner city friends.
________________
*Carsales interviewed 2299 people on November 4th – 11th 2025
Photo: Alexander-93
