THE New South Wales Government will abolish stamp duty on electric vehicles (EVs) and offer drivers other incentives as part of a $500 million plan to boost sales of battery-powered cars.
The plan, announced in last week’s State Budget, is five times larger than the package recently announced by Victoria.
It will include major spending on charging stations along highways as the NSW Government aims for EVs to account for more than half of new car sales by 2031.
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said stamp duty would be abolished on EVs that cost less than $78,000 by September this year, and a $3000 rebate would be given to the first 25,000 vehicles sold in the state for under $68,000.
However, EV owners can expect a road tax of 2.5 cents a kilometre by 2027.
The government says the tax would help fund road and infrastructure spending and compensate for the loss of fuel excise revenue.
The Victorian Government last week announced $5 million in funding for councils and businesses to install EV charging stations across the state.
This would include chargers that give EVs enough power to drive 100km after 10 minutes of charging.
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio said the funding would deliver about 100 charging stations around Victoria.
It comes on top of $644,000 allocated to install chargers at 17 sites in the Loddon-Mallee region.
The latest funding is part of the government’s $100 million plan to drive the uptake of zero-emissions vehicles.
“This will make it easier for electric vehicle drivers to make the trips they need, knowing that there will be a charging station when they need, where they need,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.
“Our support for electric vehicles will play a key role in halving our emissions by 2030.”
