The Federal Government has released its first electric vehicle strategy which outlines how barriers to buying EVs are being removed.
These comments have been collated by the Science Media Centre to provide a variety of expert perspectives on this issue.
Dr Foad Taghizadeh is a lecturer in the School of Engineering at Macquarie University.
"Initiatives for charging infrastructures in apartments:
A main barrier to EV uptake is the lack of public charging infrastructure in many parts of Australia. This makes it difficult for drivers to take long trips in their EVs and that can cause range of anxieties. EV owners with charging facilities at their own residence can take advantage of charging their EVs without travelling for long distances and with cheaper electricity rates, especially during off-peak hours.
However, for those residents who live in apartments facilitated with charging spots, there are some additional barriers such as limited access to charging infrastructure, limited charging spots, or difficulty obtaining permission for the charging infrastructure. For apartment renters, the uncertainty of future residency could be another barrier to investing in a charging infrastructure, as they may not be able to take the infrastructure with them when they move out.
It is important to address these barriers in the new standard. The new strategy should include initiatives to encourage local governments to work with building management or strata committees to fund and install charging infrastructure in apartment areas. Additionally, initiatives should encourage renters to consider portable charging options or public charging infrastructure available in their area.