Swedish electric carmaker Polestar has called for a dramatic acceleration in the transition to EVs, and says recent survey shows increasing support for a ban on the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles.
Polestar says a new global survey of 18,000 people show that 34 per cent of consumers favour of a ban on ICE vehicles by 2030, and 47 per cent support a ban by 2035.
In Australia, the numbers are similar, with 31 per cent calling for a ban on ICE vehicles by 2030 and 48 per cent for a ban by 2035.
Samantha Johnson, the head of Polestar Australia, says the newly legislated climate bill will support investment, even though it still falls well short of the 1.5° climate targets.
“A low emission vehicle strategy is the obvious next step, and we welcome the opportunity to help shape that strategy with the release of the government’s discussion paper later this month,” she said in a statement.
Thomas Ingenlath, the CEO of Polestar, says a global ban on ICE vehicles must come sooner than the dates currently contemplated by bodies such as the UN.
“With just 1.5 per cent of the vehicles on the road being electric today, it is clear we are living in an EV bubble, not an EV boom,” said Ingenlath.
“This decade is the most critical we have ever faced when it comes to not overshooting the Paris agreement.
“We need governments to lead the charge with robust policies, both on infrastructure and addressing electricity prices so that drivers can confidently go electric, but more importantly, car makers must act now and not wait for policy changes.”
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.