A $3,000 electric vehicle rebate is now available for Queensland drivers, having kicked off on July 1 to bolster the sunshine state’s goal to reach 50% EV uptake by 2030, and 100% by 2036.
The rebate – which controversially has the lowest threshold in Australia – was first announced in March. It is only available for electric vehicles with a dutiable price of less than $58,000.
This means it is not available for any cars made by Tesla, which accounts for almost 80% of the local EV market.
But the flip side of this decision is that it creates a more amenable landscape for other carmakers to sell EVs, as well as more reason to introduce them at a lower price point.
“This year, we launched our upgraded strategy looking towards 2032 with a focus on breaking down the two key barriers to EV – cost and charging infrastructure,” Queensland transport and main roads minister Mark Bailey said in a statement.
“A key part of this included a $45 million commitment to deliver $3000 rebates towards new EV purchases to bring down the initial purchase price, which EV drivers can claim from today.
“Vehicles purchased on or after 16 March this year that are up to a dutiable value of $58,000 or less (including GST), and registered in Queensland, are eligible.”
The rebates are also available for business owners, Bailey added. “The rebate is also open to businesses for up to five rebates per financial year, providing an opportunity for businesses in our state to step up and contribute to emissions reduction through their fleet operations,” he said.
More EV chargers for Queensland drivers and tourists
Along with the rebate introduction, Queensland is also ramping up the roll-out of EV charging infrastructure.
It has been a pioneer for EV chargers in Australia with the Queensland Electric Super Highway which runs almost the full length of the state’s coast and (until Western Australia rolls its own out) is the longest intrastate network in the world.
In May, the state commenced phase three of its $2.75 million inland network rollout, and added $1.08 million in additional funding to install six more regional EV chargers to enable better access for EV owners to Queensland’s outback.
Now, a $10 million EV Infrastructure Scheme will see councils and other eligible businesses and organisations access co-funding to install chargers.
“Today also marks the kick start of our $10 million EV Infrastructure Scheme which will operate as a co-funding opportunity for industry, local councils and other eligible entities to partner with the Government,” said Bailey.
“The investment will be delivered as a co-contribution with industry and local government partners, and is designed to accelerate investment in the Queensland EV charging network.”
According to documentation from Queensland’s rural and industry development authority, a maximum $3 million per organisation in infrastructure co-funding is available.
Projects are rated according to zone, with either a minimum of four 75kW DC chargers per bay in Zone A, or two in Zones B and C. Each site must have a 22kW redundancy, be publicly available, use 100% renewable energy, and provide an open feed on charging data and usage.
Whilst the documentation makes mention of “appropriate site maintenance” of the chargers – a topic that has been a source of frustration for many EV owners – there does not appear to be any stipulated uptime, and ongoing maintenance after the initial 12 month funding period is not covered.
Queensland accounts for one in four EVs on Australian roads
Minister Bailey said that currently, there are 10,000 EVs registered on Queensland roads, a doubling from this time in 2021.
With less than 43,000 EVs registered as of the end of May in Australia according to records collated by The Driven, this means nearly one in four EVs are in Queensland. The latest EV sales figures are to be announced in coming days.
“There are now almost 10,000 EVs registered in Queensland, which is double what we saw this time last year,” he said.
“Cars account for almost half of Queensland’s transport sector emissions, so this level of EV uptake will only deliver positive environmental and economic benefits to our state.
“Importantly, the rebate will help to kick-start the second-hand EV market here in Queensland and make our state a more attractive sales location for a wider variety of EV models,” he said.
Queensland’s $45 million EV strategy also includes ensuring 100% of eligible Queensland Government fleet passenger vehicles are zero-emission by 2026, and that every new TransLink funded bus added to the fleet is a zero emission bus from 2025 in South East Queensland, and from 2025-2030 across regional Queensland.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.