By Mike Foley Nick Toscano
Plug-in hybrid sports-utility-vehicle sales boomed in the first half of this year to 14,386, up 83 per cent compared to the first six months of 2024. Traditional hybrid SUVs grew 27 per cent in the same time.
Slow EV sales do not bode well for the federal government’s emissions reduction goals. It also confounds the government’s generous scheme to boost EV sales with a waiver on fringe benefits tax, which can discount a vehicle’s sticker price by up to $30,000 when combined with an employer’s novated lease arrangement.
EVs comprised about 7.7 per cent of total vehicle sales in the first half of this year, compared with 8.0 per cent in 2024 and 7.4 per cent in 2023.
Clean cars are expected to deliver a big chunk of the pollution cuts needed to reach the federal government’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2030.