Plugged In: Polestar launch, EV tax rolls out, and Tesla’s mad Katter party

Plugged In is The Driven’s weekly wrap up of what happened over the past week in the local EV industry and community.

This week saw mounting evidence that Australia is lagging behind on the worldwide EV transition, the unveiling of the Polestar 2 for Australia, controversial new laws in Victoria were passed for EV owners, Australia’ first Tesla Supercharger opened in Tasmania, and an unexpected parliament member is now a fan of the Tesla Model 3.

Polestar confirms Australia electric crossover launch in November

The first all-electric vehicle released by the Volvo-Geely brand has been met with positive reviews in global markets and promises to give a lot of bang for buck, is expected to be launched locally by November 2021.

Will every new car in Australia be electric by 2035? CSIRO says it might

The International Energy Agency has made it abundantly clear: If the world is to achieve its climate target of capping average global warming to 1.5°C, the sale of new petrol and diesel cars needs to stop by 2035. Australia doesn’t look like it will meet that target if our EV policies stay the same.

“Pay up or lose your rego”: Victoria’s EV road tax passed into law

A controversial new tax law passed in the upper house this week, which could see current EV owners have their registration cancelled if they fail to keep a record of the kilometres they travel over each year through odometer readings.

Electric Landcruiser and charger unveiled for Australian underground mines

Mining contractor Murray Engineering has unveiled a light electric vehicle for use at underground mines. The development is a step towards the mining industry’s goal of reaching net zero emissions some time this century, as outlined last year by the Mineral Council of Australia.

Australia’s first V3 Tesla Supercharger opens in Tasmania

Australia’s first Tesla V3 Supercharger, which can add almost 400km of driving range in 15-20 minutes, has been opened at Devonport in Tasmania. Australia’s reputation for lagging behind in the worldwide EV transition – has up to until now been put in the back seat of Tesla’s V3 upgrade program.

Does Australia have enough skills to make transition to electric vehicles?

Australia’s transition to electric, connected, and autonomous mobility under serious threat, a new report has reviewed the country’s automotive industry in four years, and highlights some of the significant obstacles currently preventing any meaningful transition to electric vehicles.

Going electric and banning new petrol cars could be Australia’s next big light bulb moment

Australia changed the traditional light-bulb industry without blinking, it’s time we did the same with fossil fuels.

“Yee-ha!” Bob Katter blown away by Tesla Model 3 performance

Bob Katter is the latest member of parliament to be blown away by the Tesla acceleration, sparking converstaion how all the minerals in the battery are in the ground here in Australia. This is an opportunity to bring EVs to regional queensland.

Hundreds of businesses want to host EV charging stations in regional SA

Fast and accessible charging in regional and remote areas, will remove the fear of running out of power, which is currently a big barrier to electric vehicles.