The Western Australian government has today announced it will provide up to 10,000 rebates worth $3,500 to residents buying a new electric vehicle (EV) or hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCEV) up to a value of $70,000.
The rebate will come into effect from today and is part of a larger Clean Energy Car Fund which will also provide another $22.6 million to increase EV charging infrastructure as well as $31 million for additional climate action research and planning.
Somewhat mischievously, the announcement also included the news that the WA government will introduce a distance-based road user charge for zero and low emission light vehicles from July 1, 2027.
This charge, it says, will “ensure all motorists pay their fair share towards the maintenance and construction of WA roads.”
The charge for electric and hydrogen vehicles will have a base rate of 2.5 cents per kilometre and two cents per kilometre for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, both of which will be indexed to the Consumer Price Index.
The McGowan government said it plans to invest $200,000 to develop options on systems for monitoring and collecting the future road user charge.
Rita Saffioti/Twitter
Coming back to the EV rebates, the government forecasts the average Western Australian driver will save more than $1,400 per year on fuel costs by making the switch – though it isn’t clear which volatile fuel price was used as the base input for this modelling, though likely not the most recent numbers.
Moreover, the government says the 10,000 low emissions cars it hopes the policy will bring onto the road will reduce carbon emissions by “at least” 7,000 tonnes each year.
In terms of EV charging points, it is investing a further $22.6 million from the 2022-23 Budget for new charging infrastructure to expand WA’s network, including:
- $10 million to support not-for-profits and small and medium-sized businesses with grants of up to 50% of the installing charging infrastructure costs;
- $5 million to support local government’s install charging infrastructure by providing grants of up to 50% of the installation cost;
- $4 million for the Public Transport Authority to trial the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure at four train stations, providing up to 20 bays per car park with commuter charging access; and
- more than $2.9 million in eight new charging stations across four locations on a section of National Highway 1 between Norseman and Eucla to ensure WA’s electric highway extends to South Australia.
“I’m excited to announce that Western Australia’s electric vehicle highway, which will be the longest in the world, will receive eight extra charging stations,” WA Energy Minister Bill Johnston added. “With stations from Kununurra to Esperance already being delivered, the new stations between Norseman and Eucla will complete the link to South Australia.”
In terms of the often overlooked solution of public transport, the state’s transport minister, Rita Saffioti, said the government will be introducing electric buses onto the network through our current electric bus trial in Joondalup.
“These new incentives, including electric charging infrastructure at train stations, will help encourage more people to use electric vehicles,” she added.
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“In terms of EV charging points, it is investing a further $22.6 million from the 2022-23 Budget for new charging infrastructure to expand WA’s network”
So, the state government is making every WA man, woman, and child, pay to provide services for the playthings of the rich people, that are unaffordable to the plebs. That sounds like the LNP/ALP cartel.
“Coming back to the EV rebates, the government forecasts the average Western Australian driver will save more than $1,400 per year on fuel costs by making the switch”
And, how many “average Western Australian driver(s)” have the $60,000 (and more), laying around, in surplus cash, to buy the ostentatious status symbols that are battery electric vehicles (BEV’s)?
The members of this household, will each, likely be going to our graves,without ever being able to afford to buy one of those prohibitively priced luxury items.
The only way that “average Western Australian driver(s)” will be able to afford BEV’s, is if and when the WA state government starts charging the royalties (thousands of million dollars each year), that it is exempting the northwest offshore gas extraction companies from paying, and uses the revenue to fund interest free loans both for WA households to get household rooftop photovoltaic systems that can generate sufficient energy to power the households, including charging BEV’s, and, to enable “average Western Australian driver(s)” to be able to buy BEV’s.
Regarding the
”
Somewhat mischievously, the announcement also included the news that the WA government will introduce a distance-based road user charge for zero and low emission light vehicles from July 1, 2027.
This charge, it says, will “ensure all motorists pay their fair share towards the maintenance and construction of WA roads.”
The charge for electric and hydrogen vehicles will have a base rate of 2.5 cents per kilometre and two cents per kilometre for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, both of which will be indexed to the Consumer Price Index.
”
– the solution is quite simple, for each state government that will be charging road user fees for BEV’s – it should be charged for all road transport vehicles, to ensure that WA roads are adequately funded, and, unlike the feral petrol/diesel surcharge that is fraudulently levied for the purpose of paying for roads, legislation should be implemented to ensure that, in WA, any road user fees levied by the state government, are used solely for road funding.
One critically important thing, to which the above report does not refer, and, to which, references to the “Greens” party policy platform relating to subsidising BEV’s (again, taking money from the poor, and, giving it to the rich, so they can even more, flaunt their wealth), is why the subsidising of BEV’s, is not funded, instead of making the poor pay for it, by implementing a scheme like the NZ Clean Cars Subsidy scheme (https://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/clean-car-programme/clean-car-discount/overview/), except, with both the subsidy for BEV’s (and, such subsidies should exclude “hybrid” vehicles), and, the fee for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, uncapped, with the amount of the available subsidy for BEV’s, being 35% of the vehicle purchase price, like in the UK (https://www.greencarguide.co.uk/car-reviews-and-road-tests/vauxhall-vivaro-e-doublecab-elite-3100-75kwh-van-review/ – “The Vauxhall Vivaro-e Elite Doublecab 3100 75kWh costs £40,528 after the recently revised Government Plug In Van Grant which now pays for 35% of the purchase price up to a maximum of £6,000.” – but, the subsidy should be capped only to exclude being applied to vehicles over a specified gross purchase price; e.g., 70,000AUD), and, the ICE vehicles fee, should be per gram of vehicle carbon emissions per kilometre, uncapped (for example, using the (modified) NZ calculation, for the fee, of (emissions * $50).
Bit, then again, the propositions, both from the WA state government (announced, conspicuously, at a time to influence the voting in the feral parliamentary election), and, the “Greens” party policy, are all about politics, and, trying to influence the gullible voters, and, are not about fairness and the environment.