Movie stars should be screened, not heard.
It’s a line lifted from a Variety magazine article of the 1920s — a jab at new cinematic technologies and the big studios’ push towards “talkies”.
Audiences hadn’t sought change, happy with the ways of the silent era and filmic outings led by overplayed expressions, title cards and supportive background music.
Then, in 1927, the music of Al Jolson came projected with dialogue in The Jazz Singer. The talkies were suddenly in and a sound revolution that forever altered cinema began.
Cultural transition — particularly when led by technology — has always been a tricky road. And so it is today in this country of cars, vast distances and a motoring industry driving into a period of transformation. Interestingly, for the relative silence associated with electric vehicles (EVs), they produce a bit of public noise.
It was this January that tabloid headlines pointed to a circling of the (internal combustion) wagons. 2024 sales figures for EV vehicles in Australia had, according to some media reports, seen the plug pulled on the entire sector. Tesla — vehicular clickbait akin to a sordid Hollywood scandal — was all but written off.
And yet the great demise of the battery-powered dream wasn’t quite as some had steered things. Yes, sales of Elon Musk’s electric outfit had stalled against an influx of new marques and models, as led by China’s BYD. And year-on-year EV growth was down on ascendant six-figure gains in 2022 and 2023.
However, based on data collated by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries and the Electric Vehicle Council, Australian EV 2024 sales grew 4.7 per cent against slides of 10.1 per cent for petrol engines and 2.5 per cent for diesel engines.
In total, a record 91,292 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) were bought in 2024, a figure that climbs to around 114,000 with the inclusion of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).
“One in 10 people now drive an EV in Australia — and that’s not a small number of people,” says Aman Gaur, head of legal, policy and advocacy at the Electric Vehicle Council.
Tesla, despite a 16.9 per cent sales slump last year, remains the country’s most popular EV marque, shifting 38,347 cars. While much is made of BYD’s heady drive into the domestic market, the Germans are also on the move. Audi EV sales were up 15 per cent year-on-year in 2024, with BMW up 160 per cent for the same period, the Munich automaker jumping to fourth on the Australian EV sales table.
“We certainly don’t see any hesitancy with the BEV market,” says Brendan Michel, BMW Australia’s head of product and market planning. “For us, it’s that these electric cars are well engineered. These are premium quality cars in the BEV space.”
Michel points to greater awareness around charging infrastructure as central to the further growth of EVs.
“We’re a big country, with large distances to travel. But we do also have fast-charging infrastructure at key destination points.
“Over the next four to five years, we’ll see that grow even more.”
Since 2022, the number of fast-charging stations nationwide has grown from 356 to more than 1100 — with more than 3500 plugs.
In Western Australia, a $23 million expansion of the State’s EV charging infrastructure has included an “electric highway” of 110 stations across 49 locations, stretching from Kununurra in the north of the State to Mundrabilla in the south.
Last month, the NSW Government heralded a suite of new, “curated” EV road trips — taking in some of the State’s best-known tourist destinations via strategically placed charging stations.
“Government projects like these really help demonstrate that options exist,” says Julie Delvecchio, CEO of the Electric Vehicle Council. “It shows that you can do the things you love doing, like going on a road trip. And it also helps normalise EVs.”
The reinstatement of various State subsidies and purchase incentives — many of which had been rolled back the past two years — also inform the council’s 2025 agenda and ultimate aim for 50 per cent of all new car sales to be EVs by 2030.
“At the moment we’re focused on the next wave of reforms that need to happen,” Delvecchio says. “We need to be focused on continuing to provide consumers with good policy settings that incentivise them to consider EVs.”
January saw the implementation of a National Vehicle Efficiency Standard. The policy regulates the carbon dioxide emissions of new cars – aiming to cut emissions by more than 60 per cent by 2030 — and is expected to accelerate the growth of EV sales.
“It’s going to mean more models at lower prices,” says Gaur. “And we’re already seeing the early signs because we’ve seen an electric vehicle come in under $30,000 (the BYD Dolphin Essential).”
From a refreshed Tesla Model Y to new models from legacy manufacturers such as Volkswagen and the continued push of newcomers Chery, LDV, Zeekr and GWM, among others, the road ahead is shaping to be highly charged and competitive.
Delvecchio is optimistic about what lies ahead.
“We’re very excited about 2025,” she says.