Labor’s energy spokesman Chris Bowen takes delivery of new Tesla Model 3

Labor’s climate and energy spokesman Chris Bowen has taken delivery of a new Tesla Model 3, becoming the third federal Labor MP to go electric with a Tesla, and raising the prospect that Australia may soon – for the first time – have a federal energy minister who drives an EV.

Bowen, as we foreshadowed earlier this week, took delivery of his Model 3 on Wednesday, just days after taking a rented EV on a trip from Canberra to Victoria, and being gently ribbed by the Twitter crowd for doing so.

With his new purchase, made under the parliamentary allowance standard for all MPs, Bowen follows Labor’s former leader Bill Shorten, and Perth-based Labor MP Patrick Gorman in going electric with a Tesla.

The Liberals’ Katie Allen also has one. Others are getting some exposure to EVs because the parliamentary fleet now features two of them. (If you know of other MPs who have an EV, please do let us know).

With a federal election due in May, Bowen could become federal climate and energy minister, and will have a lot in common with some other state ministers such as NSW Liberal Matt Kean, who also drives a Model 3, and ACT Green Shane Rattenbury, who drives a Nissan Leaf.

That will be a big change from the current minister, Angus Taylor, who apart from repeatedly declaring there is too much wind and solar in the grid, ignoring invitations to open wind and solar farms, proposing subsidies for coal plants and calling for a gas-led recovery, also says he doesn’t want to drive an EV.

See: Angus Taylor: “I’m not driving an electric car”

While the federal Coalition sought to dismiss and make a mockery of EVs in the last election campaign (“They can’t tow your boat” and they will “ruin the weekend”), Labor’s new policy models a scenario where nine out of 10 new car sales are electric or hybrid by 2030.

It will help achieve this by providing exemptions on fringe benefits tax and import tax, mandating EV targets for government fleets, helping private fleets go electric, and boosting charging infrastructure.

“Coming from so far behind, Australia needs to move fast on EVs,” Bowen told The Driven. “So I reckon it’s incumbent on those of us is in public life if we can lead by example if we can, and show that the switch is easier than many people think.”

Bowen’s Model 3 is a base level Standard Range plus, with white paint that comes at no additional cost (unlike other colours). At a retail cost of around $60,000 it might also have qualified for rebates and stamp duty exemptions on offer from the NSW government. (It carries NSW number plates).

If Bowen does use his Tesla to travel to Canberra when federal parliament sits, he could always stop in Goulburn on the way through for a top up at the Tesla Superchargers. Taylor’s electorate office is just up the road. Perhaps Bowen could drop in for a chat, or even offer him a lift.