Western Australia’s Cook Labor government announced Monday that it would invest a further $5.2 million into its successful electric vehicle (EV) rebate scheme.
The so-called Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) scheme has already exceeded original expectations, paying out the $3,500 rebate to 5,900 applications, for a total cost of more than $20 million as Western Australians begin to embrace the transition to EVs.
“We’ve seen huge growth in the number of Western Australians purchasing electric vehicles and our rebate scheme is one of the reasons we’re seeing such a high take-up,” said Rita Saffioti, Western Australia’s transport minister.
“We know the cost can make electric vehicles prohibitive for many people, but these rebates are helping to make it more affordable and increasing demand within WA.
The decision by the W.A. government to extend the scheme comes after rebates were ended in NSW, Victoria and South Australia, although Queensland has doubled the size of its rebate offering to $6,000.
“The electrification of transport is one of the key measures that will help us achieve this, and further investment from our government in this scheme, along with more EVs arriving in the WA market and falling prices, we will see even more people to make the switch to zero emission vehicles,” Saffioti said.
The rebate is limited to fully battery EVs, and only for vehicles with a “dutiable” value of $70,000 or less.
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.