Range anxiety? EV owners are driving more than other motorists

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Charging a mid-sized 60 kilowatt-hour battery costs about $20 in NSW and Victoria.

The survey also found 86 per cent of respondents regularly used public charging infrastructure. The federal government reports the number of fast-charging sites around the country has doubled in the past year to 1059, with 3500 plugs available.

Cost-of-living pressures have coincided with a fall in new car sales.

Petrol and diesel vehicles have fallen 6.3 per cent since the start of the year.

Sales of EVs were down 25 per cent since January. In the three months to October, they comprised 6.5 per cent of all new cars sold.

In contrast, sales of hybrids, powered by fuel and a battery that charges as the car drives, have risen 38 per cent since January, comprising about 17 per cent of new cars sold in the three months to October, suggesting range anxiety is still on buyers’ minds.

There are about six EV models available for under $40,000, with an MG4 the cheapest at a retail price of about $30,000. Ten hybrids retail for under $40,000, with the cheapest at $30,000.

Carmakers and industry players say US President-elect Donald Trump’s tough stance on Chinese imports could bring new EV models priced under $30,000 to Australia.

Trump, whose inner circle includes Tesla founder Elon Musk, has said he would raise tariffs on Chinese EV imports to 200 per cent to protect US cars from competition. China is the world’s biggest EV maker and the loss of the US market would increase availability globally, especially in Australia, a relatively high-priced market for carmakers.

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