ACT celebrates 10,000 EVs milestone as it charges ahead of rest of country

Australia’s Capital Territory is celebrating a significant electric vehicle (EV) milestone, announcing last week that it had registered over 10,000 EVs.

The Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) confirmed that the ACT had reached the 10,000 EV milestone in the   first week of December, with EV numbers increasing from 400 to 10,000 in under five years.

“Electric vehicles are now fimly part of the Canberra landscape,” said Paul Wayper, ACT branch advocacy lead at the AEVA.

“Whereas once you could count the number of EVs encountered on a trip, with about one in every 30 cars now being EVs, you can count them at the trac lights.”

In fact, according to the Canberra branch of the AEVA, around three per cent of all registered in the ACT are now EVs, and the share of EVs on a monthly basis is constantly above 20 per cent, or even 25 per cent – comparable with some European countries.

These numbers have accelerated as of late, with new EV registrations in 2024 growing around eight per cent faster than a year ago, despite a slower growth rate in the rest of the country.

However, EV adoption needs to accelerate even faster to meet the government’s emissions targets and reduce transport emissions.

“AEVA continues to run outreach and education sessions for anyone interested in EVs,” said Wayper.

“With low operating costs and no air pollution, they make a lot of sense, but prospective buyers appreciate hearing independent answers to their questions before making the switch.”