New South Wales has announced that it will extend its transit lane concession for electric vehicle drivers for another 12 months.
The state announced last year that EVs could drive in the T2 and T3 transit lanes – lanes usually reserved for carpooling – and the arrangement was due to expire on Monday.
NSW treasurer and minister for energy Matt Kean – himself a Tesla Model 3 owner – announced on Tuesday that this policy will continue for another 12 months, extending through to October 31, 2023.
“Allowing EVs to drive in transit lanes builds on other initiatives from the Perrottet Government to incentivise uptake including rebates, phasing out stamp duty and building a world-class charging network to support these vehicles,” said Kean.
“Through these initiatives, we have seen an 84% increase in EVs in NSW since last year, the fastest growth in Australia, and we are confident this trend will continue.
Kean noted the NSW Government’s EV Strategy is backed by a $633 million investment to accelerate the uptake of EVs and de-carbonise the state-owned vehicle fleet.
A full comparison of EV incentives and policies across Australia can be found here. The highlight for NSW, though, are a $3,000 rebate for 25,000 EVs under $68,750 (after 01/09/2021) and stamp duty exemption for EVs under $78,000 (after 01/09/2021, permanent).
NSW’s minister for metropolitan roads, Natalie Ward, hopes that this incentive will help to further drive EV uptake for NSW drivers.
“Drivers of EVs are able to use the transit lanes to cut travel times which is another great reason to take up these vehicles,” Ward said. “EVs are an investment in our future, not only in the massive reduction in emissions, but also in savings on fuel and ongoing costs for drivers.”
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.