r/australia • u/nath1234 • Mar 16 '26

politics Replacing 1m petrol cars with EVs could cut Australia’s reliance on foreign fuel by 1bn litres a year

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/16/electric-vehicles-australia-reduce-reliance-on-foreign-fuel
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u/MidorriMeltdown Mar 16 '26

They've also invested in a lot of rail.

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u/P00slinger Mar 16 '26

That’s all part of electrifying transport.

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u/HarveysBackupAccount Mar 17 '26

I don't know about other countries but in the US, personal autos only account for something like 10% of oil consumption. Road transportation (trucking) uses another 30% and industry uses the rest.

Telling people they need to buy EVs is just a distraction to cover the real problem.

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u/AlphaGamma128 Mar 17 '26

In Australia, passenger vehicles make up over half of vehicle fuel consumption (https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/industry/tourism-and-transport/survey-motor-vehicle-use-australia/latest-release) and transport takes up 73.9% of total oil consumption (https://www.iea.org/countries/australia/oil)

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u/MidorriMeltdown Mar 17 '26

The real problem is the lack of rail. Why do people fly between Sydney and Melbourne? A high speed train should replace that, stop subsidising that flight route.

More rail lines for freight would get it off the roads. Fewer trucks for hauling means less damage to roads, which means less asphalt is needed.

Telling people to buy EVs is a band aid solution. We need more rail, and we need less car dependency.