Australian motorists seem to favor hybrid electric vehicles over battery-powered ones, based on the Australian Automobile Association’s quarterly EV Index published on Tuesday night.
Nonetheless, both HEV and BEV sales are surging, while internal combustion engine-powered models hit a record sales drop.
Hybrid vs. EV Sales – Q1 2024
Hybrids continue to outsell BEVs, with sales of 35,003 units in the first quarter of the year. For comparison, BEVs only sold 25,468 units in the same period.
In the last three consecutive quarters, hybrids’ total sales reached a whopping 95,129 units. Meanwhile, BEVs only reported 69,593 unit sales from Q3 2023 to Q1 2024.
In a significant advancement, BEV’s market share increased to 8.70%. Likewise, HEVs also enjoyed a surge in market share to 11.95%. It represents a notable growth from just 6.26% in Q1 2023.
ICE Car Sales Drop
In contrast to the growing sales of electrified vehicles (BEVs and HEVs), ICE-powered cars continue to drop to 228,961 in the first quarter of the year. However, its sales remain dominant in the overall automotive market in Australia.
According to the data, conventional car sales have dropped by 8.03% from Q4 2023 to Q1 2024. Their market share also recorded a huge decline to 78.18%, hitting below the 80% threshold for the first time.
EV Uptake Challenges
As you can observe from the quarterly EV Index data in Australia, people are becoming more open to gas-powered car alternatives. However, it seems that they are not yet in the stage of adopting all-electric vehicles due to various factors, as noted by Australian Automotive Dealer Association CEO James Voortman.
“People are wanting to go into that lower cost, lower emissions motoring, but they just don’t think they are ready for the full EV experience.”
James Voortman, AADA CEO
Some of the most common barriers that impede people from buying a BEV are high prices and lack of charging infrastructures. CEO Voortman cited the survey results published in February, which revealed that three in every five buyers are “less open to paying more money for an electric vehicle due to the current cost-of-living pressures.”
CEO Voortman further explained that the lack of charging infrastructures was also “no doubt” among the most common concerns among buyers.
“There is a growing acceptance that you can do a lot of your charging at home, but not everyone has access to home charging. I think as the infrastructure rolls out, we will see more and more people willing to take up an electric vehicle.”
James Voortman, AADA CEO
All that said, hybrid vehicles seem to be a “stepping stone” for Australians toward their gradual adoption of all-electric vehicles. However, electric automakers and the government must continue to collaborate to bring BEV prices down and deploy more charging infrastructures to encourage more people to join the shift.
