Data from Energex and Ergon to September 2022, charted above and below, demonstrates progress being made in Queensland, Australia, towards electrification of the vehicle fleet. There are 11,839 BEVs, 3,042 PHEVs, and 1,084 electric motorcycles currently using Queensland’s roads — about 16,000 plugin vehicles in total. The trajectory of the uptake curve is unmistakably heading for the vertical.
EV volumes in Queensland. Chart © Energex Limited and Ergon Energy Corporation Limited, used with permission.
In our daily trips, we are noticing more and more EVs — not just Teslas, but Hyundai Konas, Ioniq 5s, and Kia EV6s. Yesterday, shopping at Aldi, we parked near an electric Mercedes EQS. White Tesla Model 3s (affectionately known by the family as tic tacs) are becoming so common that we have stopped playing “spotto” with them. Some days we even get SEXY, but usually just YE.
Included in the BEV total are 53 electric buses and 16 electric trucks. It is easy to see the battery-electric cars becoming more and more numerous on the highways; the buses are not so easy to pick out, but as their numbers increase, it should become more obvious.
“We’ve made a commitment that every new bus in South East Queensland would be zero emission from 2025, so to see it happening now is a fantastic achievement,” Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said. “That commitment expands to our regions between 2025 and 2030.”
Member for Cairns Michael Healy added: “Our research shows each electric bus could save as much as 1,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases over its lifespan and deliver many community benefits with less noise and harmful air pollution.”
“Under the Palaszczuk Government, Queensland is home to the world’s longest electric super highway — and now Cairns will be home to the future of public transport,” Mr Healy said.
The Queensland government is partnering with Kinetic’s Sunbus for the trial of 5 electric buses in Cairns in 2023. The Kinetic Sunbus is already operating on the Gold and Sunshine Coasts. There are over 100 electric buses on the roads in Australia and this number is expected to double next year.
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