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https://thedriven.io/2024/12/19/low-income-and-frontline-workers-to-access-cut-price-loans-in-new-bid-to-boost-ev-sales/>
"The federal government has announced a new initiative to provide $150 million
of loans to lower income households and frontline workers in a bid to make new
electric cars more accessible.
The funding for the low-interest loans will come from the Clean Energy Finance
Corporation via the Commonwealth Bank, and will be made available to
Australians with an income below $100,000, or essential frontline workers –
police, teachers, fire fighters, and health care, for instance – even with an
income above $100,000.
The low interest loans – struck at a rate of 5.4 per cent – will be sized up to
$55,000, according to the federal energy and climate minister Chris Bowen.
“We are seeing more and more cars available, electric cars available for less
than $55,000,” Bowen told journalists at the announcement in western Sydney on
Thursday.
“It used to be the case that … they weren’t available. But increasingly we’re
seeing them come into the market, and we’re going to see even more with our new
vehicle efficiency standards which come into force on the 1st of January
providing Australians with more choice. It’s all about choices – choices for
the planet, choices for the pocket.”
EV sales in Australia have grown slower than expected in 2024, despite a big
increase in the number of models available, particularly at the lower end of
the market courtesy – mostly – by new Chinese car makers.
Mostly, the low growth in EV sales is the result of a precipitous drop in the
number of Tesla deliveries, which are down 20 per cent. Tesla previously
accounted for more than half the EV market in Australia, and its slump in out
down to a combination of new competition, stale offerings, and a dislike of CEO
Elon Musk."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
