The New South Wales government has revealed plans to deliver a series of “dynamic, informative and influential” electric vehicle test drive events over the course of the 2021/22 financial year, as the state prepares to roll out Australia’s most generous suite of EV incentives to date.
In tender documents from the NSW department of Planning, Industry and Environment, the Liberal Berejiklian government said it was seeking partners to help deliver at least 20 battery electric vehicle (BEV) test drive days, for both businesses and the general public.
The documents said a key goal of the exercise would be for customers to have the chance to drive BEVs “for the first time,” which comes with the introduction of the “significant raft” of new incentives for EVs that was announced in June.
“In comparison with [internal combustion engine] vehicles, BEVs are an unfamiliar technology. The NSW government would like to provide opportunities and establish a process that over time will normalise’ the BEV technology,” the documents say.
“There will then be a greater understanding of the benefits of BEVs so they will be considered as an option by mainstream vehicle buyers.”
As The Driven has reported, the Berejiklian government has unveiled a $490 million package of new incentives, tax cuts and spending on new fast-charging infrastructure for electric vehicles – some of the best currently available in Australia.
The funding package includes a wide a range of measures to cut the upfront costs of electric vehicles for early adopters, a commitment to transition the entire government vehicle fleet to all-electric models by 2030 and includes a $171 million spend on new charging infrastructure across the state.
Under the plan, the NSW government will waive stamp duty for electric vehicles priced under $78,000 – just below the luxury car tax threshold – and an additional $3,000 rebate will be available for the first 25,000 purchases of battery and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles with a price below $68,750. These measures come into play from September 01, 2021.
The below table from the documents outlines possible scenarios for both fleet and general public test drives, including the number of EV models that should be made available, the number of test drives made available and possible locations for the events.
Sophie is editor of One Step Off The Grid and deputy editor of its sister site, Renew Economy. Sophie has been writing about clean energy for more than a decade.