{"id":603166,"date":"2026-04-13T02:01:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T02:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/603166\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T02:01:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T02:01:15","slug":"evs-are-cutting-fuel-dependency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/603166\/","title":{"rendered":"EVs are cutting fuel dependency"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">A new report claims that Australia\u2019s electric and hybrid vehicles are already reducing Australia\u2019s exposure to oil price volatility.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">The new report, released by the community-funded not-for-profit Climate Council, urges the federal government to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and storage in the upcoming May budget.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">Climate Council\u2019s analysis states that petrol prices have surged nearly 50% since late February, reaching 253.4 cents per litre, while diesel has climbed above AU$3 per litre.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">\u201cThis is the second major global fuel shock in just four years,\u201d the report states, highlighting how Australia\u2019s dependence on importing more than 90% of its refined fuels creates immediate vulnerability when international supply chains are disrupted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">Indeed, price spikes are flowing through the entire economy, with analysis suggesting prolonged conflict could increase Australian road freight costs by 20-30%, pushing up prices for food and essential goods. Modelling by Griffith University estimates the conflict could add an extra 5% to existing inflation.<\/p>\n<p data-component=\"related-article\" class=\"RelatedArticle\">Related:<a class=\"RelatedArticle-RelatedContent\" href=\"https:\/\/www.evinfrastructurenews.com\/ev-technology\/kraken-volkswagen-partner-on-european-ev-charging-scheme\" target=\"_self\" data-discover=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Kraken, Volkswagen partner on European EV charging scheme<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">With an estimated 1.3 million fully electric or hybrid EVs now on Australian roads, the country is avoiding almost 15 million litres of petrol and diesel consumption every week, the equivalent of 325 fuel truck deliveries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">This saving has tripled in just three years, demonstrating the accelerating pace of transport electrification.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-component=\"image\" class=\"ContentParagraph-Image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/CLimate_Council_Image_2.png\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"CLimate_Council_Image_2.png\" title=\"CLimate_Council_Image_2.png\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">During March\u2019s fuel price spike, EV and hybrid owners avoided approximately AU$50 million in additional fuel costs, on top of the AU$140 million they typically save during four weeks compared to conventional vehicle owners.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">The report notes that EV owners spend 40% less on annual vehicle running costs, saving about AU$1,400 through reduced fuel and maintenance expenses. Interest in EVs has surged amid rising oil prices, with NAB reporting a 100% increase in EV loan applications in March.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">These cost reductions associated with owning an EV have led to a boom in terms of adoption rates. As reported by EV Infrastructure News,\u00a0<a class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.evinfrastructurenews.com\/ev-technology\/australian-ev-sales-hit-record-high-as-fuel-uncertainty-drives-market-shift\" target=\"_self\" data-discover=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">EV sales in Australia surged in March 2026, with battery-electric vehicles capturing 14.6% of the market<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">Significantly, the highest adoption rates for the federal EV tax discount are occurring in outer suburban areas, including Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, and Craigieburn in Victoria; Marsden Park, Kellyville, Baulkham Hills, and Queanbeyan in New South Wales; and Springfield in Queensland.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">The Climate Council is calling for the EV fringe benefits tax exemption to continue, while also proposing that similar tax treatment be extended to shared and active transport options, such as public transport fares and e-bike leasing.<\/p>\n<p data-component=\"related-article\" class=\"RelatedArticle\">Related:<a class=\"RelatedArticle-RelatedContent\" href=\"https:\/\/www.evinfrastructurenews.com\/ev-technology\/australian-ev-sales-hit-record-high-as-fuel-uncertainty-drives-market-shift\" target=\"_self\" data-discover=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Australian EV sales hit record high as fuel uncertainty drives market shift<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"ContentParagraph ContentParagraph_align_left\" data-testid=\"content-paragraph\">To read the <a class=\"ContentText-BodyTextChunk ContentText-BodyTextChunk_link ContentText-BodyTextChunk_italic\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.energy-storage.news\/australia-battery-storage-cushions-au1-billion-fuel-shock-as-climate-council-demands-may-budget-action\/\">full article<\/a>, please visit Energy-Storage.news.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new report claims that Australia\u2019s electric and hybrid vehicles are already reducing Australia\u2019s exposure to oil price&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":603167,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-603166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=603166"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603166\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/603167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=603166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=603166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=603166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}