Australia was more successful in reducing the emissions intensity of its light vehicle fleet at the beginning of the century than in recent years.
A new report from the National Transport Commission (NTC) has analysed the carbon dioxide emissions intensity from 17 million cars on Australian roads.
NTC CEO and Commissioner Michael Hopkins said report looked at data from cars registered since 2003 and still in use today.
Mr Hopkins said this provided a richer and more complete picture of emission trends than ever before.
“From 2017 to 2021, Australia’s emissions intensity from new vehicles sold dropped by less than a percent each year,” he said.
“Looking back, we actually performed better between 2002 and 2016 when emissions intensity fell by 28 percent over the period.
“But there is good news. The emissions intensity for new vehicles sold in 2023 was down by 5 percent compared to 2022, marking the largest percentage drop since our reporting began.”
Mr Hopkins said while Australia was making progress on cutting vehicle emissions intensity, the country was still behind many developed countries.
“Our emissions intensity from new passenger vehicles is slightly above those in the United States and Canada, and significantly higher than the average of European Union nations.”
He said the report showed that more people were choosing electric vehicles from a greater range, with 127 models available in 2023, up from just six in 2015, with the average driving range of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) improving to 470km, 100km higher than in 2021.
“More choice and better driving range have contributed to a 151 percent increase in the number of BEVs and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) sold in 2023 compared to 2022,” Mr Hopkins said.
Read the full Light Vehicle Emissions Intensity in Australia: Trends Over Time report.
