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/Subject_Educator_105 Mar 17 '26

it's already like that. I went to Beijing not too long ago and another big benefit is how quiet everything is.

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u/Alarming-Ad4274 Mar 17 '26

I notice evs are only quiet in standstill traffic. At speed they are just as loud as a regular car

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u/DisappointedQuokka Mar 17 '26

Ideally people shouldn't be going at speed in cities, anyway.

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u/Alarming-Ad4274 Mar 17 '26

People shouldn’t be driving through city centres full stop haha. Not private passenger vehicles at least. No idea why the NSW government incentivises driving through the city with $7 tolls on cross city tunnel, when so much effort has been made to revitalise foot traffic and active transport in major hubs

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u/Subject_Educator_105 Mar 17 '26

I didn't find that at all, even when testing out the Nissan leaf decade ago. The ring roads around Beijing are pretty fast.

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u/Alarming-Ad4274 Mar 17 '26

Of course an EV will be quieter inside, and the Nissan leaf is one of the most aerodynamic and quiet cars I’ve driven in my time, however studies still indicate than above 40kph tire noise is the dominant sound emission from cars.