Person holder a car charger plug into the vehicle

Image source: teksomolika, Freepik, Freepik license


The environmental and economic benefits of electric vehicles (EVs) is well known, but there are barriers to making EVs the standard. Currently, the main barriers to EV uptake are cost, range anxiety (only being able to travel a certain distance before needing to charge) and supply. There are also only a small number of heavy electric vehicle brands here in Australia, posing another challenge to transitioning heavy vehicle fleets to EVs.


 Watch the video

Watch to learn more about ‘Green Transportation VOX Pop - The heavy vehicle industry's transition to EV’.


 Research and reflect

Read Australia could rapidly shift to clean transport – if we had a strategy and FACTS: A Framework for an Australian Clean TransportStrategy to find out how the transport sector could be decarbonised.

Document your thoughts to each of the questions presented. When you have finished, select Create document to export your content and keep for later.


Clean energy

Other renewable energies come with their own benefits and challenges. This table outlines a few of them.

Renewable Energy Sources, Benefits, and Challenges
What it is Benefits Challenges and Environmental Impacts
Solar energy (small-scale)
  • Creates renewable energy
  • Lowers household carbon emissions
  • Lowers electricity bills
  • Low maintenance costs
  • Excess power can be sold back to the grid
  • Initial cost can be off-putting
  • Weather-dependent
  • Storage of solar energy is expensive
  • Panels can degrade due to weather exposure
  • May require more panels than roof space available
Solar energy (large-scale)
  • Sustainable form of energy
  • Low maintenance
  • Silent
  • No emissions
  • Requires large amounts of space
  • High upfront costs
  • Intermittent energy generation
  • High water usage during manufacturing
Wind power
  • Cheapest large-scale renewable energy source
  • Clean, renewable resource
  • Creates employment during production, installation, and maintenance
  • High initial investment required
  • Potential negative impact on wildlife
  • Noise and visual impact
  • Requires significant land
Hydroelectricity
  • Consistent and sustainable source of energy
  • Low greenhouse gas emissions post-construction
  • Highly efficient energy conversion
  • Can be used for both base and peak load electricity generation
  • Disturbs local ecosystems and fish populations
  • Requires flooding large areas for reservoirs
  • High initial costs
  • Impacted by drought and climate change
Energy storage
  • Stable and reliable energy source
  • Stores excess solar and wind energy for peak demand
  • Facilitates increased renewable energy integration into the grid
  • High development and installation costs
  • Large-scale storage requires significant space
  • Batteries degrade over time
  • Battery manufacturing and disposal can impact the environment
Hydrogen
  • Zero emissions when used as a fuel
  • Efficient fuel source with high energy density
  • Versatile for transportation, power generation, and as feedstock
  • Can be produced using excess renewable energy
  • Hydrogen production through steam methane reforming produces CO2
  • Renewable hydrogen production is expensive and underdeveloped
  • Storage is challenging and expensive
  • Highly flammable, posing safety risks

 Case study


Liam is a 32-year-old marketing professional living in Melbourne. He earns an annual salary of $92,000 AUD, and his budget accommodates his mortgage and living expenses and allows for modest savings. Liam has a keen interest in sustainability and combating climate change and is considering making a significant lifestyle change: swapping his petrol car for an EV. Having followed the rise of EVs in Australia, he sees switching to one as a tangible step he can take to contribute to the fight against climate change.

Liam's monthly take-home pay, after taxes and superannuation contributions, is roughly $4,300 AUD. His monthly expenses, including mortgage payments, utilities, groceries and miscellaneous costs, total about $3,000 AUD. This scenario leaves him with $1,300 AUD for savings and discretionary spending. With a current savings balance of $20,000 AUD, earmarked for emergencies and long-term investments, Liam is cautious about dipping into this fund without careful consideration.

He makes a list of the pros and cons of buying an electric vehicle.

His pros are:

  • significant reduction in carbon emissions and environmental impact
  • cheaper running costs and less maintenance due to fewer moving parts
  • government incentives, like rebates and reduced registration fees.

His cons are:

  • high upfront costs, which would make a significant dent in his savings or require financing
  • logistics of charging could be difficult, although there are an increasing amount of charging stations in Melbourne
  • limited models available and it might be hard to find one to suit his needs and budget
  • waiting times for EV vehicles due to supply problems from overseas. 

Liam's decision to buy an EV hinges on balancing his environmental ideals with financial pragmatism. The pros are compelling, notably the environmental benefits and lower running costs. However, the cons, including the high upfront cost and current limitations in charging infrastructure, present significant hurdles. Liam decides to do further research into EV models that fit his budget, potential financing options, and a deeper exploration of Victoria’s incentives that could make his transition to an EV more feasible.

Last modified: Tuesday, 24 September 2024, 1:14 PM