Federal Government poised to announce vehicle emissions reduction plan today

The Federal Government is expected to announce this morning the first step in a motor vehicle emissions reduction plan that will shape what cars Australians drive in the future.

The Federal Government is expected to announce this morning a plan to start working on a motor vehicle emissions reduction scheme that would more closely align Australia with world’s best practice.

The Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, is expected to host a media conference this morning to formally open consultation with the automotive industry to introduce a framework for achievable emissions reduction targets.

As it stands, the Australian car industry has for the past three years in a row failed to meet its own voluntary emissions reduction targets.

Australia’s current motor vehicle emissions standards are approximately a decade behind Europe, in part due to dirtier fuel at the bowser.

But with cleaner petrol just around the corner, the Federal Government is poised to take the next steps and mandate emissions reduction targets for motor vehicles.

The automotive industry is divided on the changes – even though both sides of the electric-car debate agree a pollution reduction mandate is warranted.

The electric-car lobby group – the Electric Vehicle Council of Australia, funded by energy providers, charging networks and a handful of car companies – wants to all but ban petrol and diesel vehicles and force almost all Australians to go electric by the middle of next decade.

However, the peak industry body – the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, which represents all car makers – says any future government emissions reduction mandates should not leave any motorists behind, and cater for a range of vehicle uses and our love of the great outdoors.

While the electric-car lobby group wants to kill petrol and diesel cars, the automotive industry insists governments must give consumers choice to best suit their needs.

If electric cars are too expensive – or don’t suit the needs of a significant number of buyers – then motorists will be more likely to hang onto older, higher polluting and less safe vehicles.

The world’s biggest car-maker by volume – Toyota – says a range of new fuel-saving petrol and diesel technology could also help reduce emissions.

The Japanese car giant says if reducing emissions is the goal, then giving consumers a range of options is better than rail-roading them into electric-only vehicles.

Europe has among the most stringent emissions reduction programs in the world, but in recent months the global auto industry has asked for either an extension or a rethink of its introduction, as it has become apparent the ramp-up of electric cars is going to take longer – and be more costly – than anticipated.

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