Already a subscriber?The political battle over Labor’s emissions reduction plans for cars and utes is moving into top gear.
has just exited the board of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries , one of the most vocal critics of the government’s preferred model, and will quit official membership on June 30.That’s after FCAI chief executive Tony Weber’s loud warnings that the strictness of a 60 per cent-plus reduction in emissions over five years will add thousands of dollars to the cost of Australia’s most popular vehicles.
I look enviously at friends’ holiday snaps from their drives through the outback in a diesel-guzzling ute. We then hop into their Tesla for the drive to the local restaurant. The obvious threat is the cost of doing so could be added to popular vehicles or that manufacturers might choose to withdraw some high-emitting models from the modestly sized Australian right-hand-drive market altogether.Bowen is not for turning. The Climate Change and Energy Minister knows the government’s 2030 deadline for a 43 per cent net emissions reduction won’t be met without major change in the 13 per cent of national emissions currently created by passenger and light vehicles.
I look enviously at some friends’ caravan holiday snaps from their long drives through the outback in a diesel-guzzling ute. We then hop into their Tesla for the drive to the local restaurant. That has only been compounded by the nation’s compromised petrol supply due to high levels of sulphur and aromatics making it unsuitable for the most advanced, fuel-efficient car vehicles. New standards for fuel quality will also come into effect from December next year.But catching up to US fuel efficiency standards by 2028 – as Bowen would like – means travelling a long distance in a very short time frame.