Tesla dominates EV sales figures by a long shot

Image: Bridie Schmidt

The recently released EV sales figures by the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) provide a stark reminder of how poor the generic (non-Tesla) charging infrastructure is in this country.

The EVC’s figures show that 3.39% of all light vehicles sales for the first, second and third quarters of 2022 were electric, this includes Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (PHEV).

When those figures are broken down it also shows that two vehicles dominated EV sales; the Tesla Model 3 and Tesla Model Y. These two variants, alone, made up 53.2% of EV market share. The other 46.8% was from a combination of 93 variants.

If you remove the 35 PHEV variants from the figures, Tesla has a 64% share. It also shows that, despite the EVC highlighting a figure of 3.39%, the reality is removing Tesla and PHEVs from the sales figures reduces this to 1.007%.

In effect, the 58 variants of pure EV that do not have a Tesla badge make up just 1% of the light vehicle market.

This large difference in sales between Tesla and the remainder is made even more interesting when you consider Tesla does not spend money on advertising.

Source: State of Electric Vehicles October 2022 report

“Shambolic:” Lack of chargers still huge barrier to EV uptake

Despite claims of purchase price and lack of choice deterring Australians from buying an EV, I have no doubt the most significant barrier is a fear of being unable to charge away from home. Petrol and diesel vehicles have been extremely convenient in regional areas for decades and the buying public expects no compromises.

For a Tesla owner who lives close to or between one of the five east coast mainland capital cities charging is reliable and convenient due to the Tesla Supercharger network. In the southwest of the country, Tesla owners have a similar convenience.

Each location has a minimum of three and sometimes eight charging cables, the reliability rate is extremely good. On the other hand, non-Tesla EVs (legacy auto) must rely on a mix of different branded chargers with a variety of payment systems.

These DC chargers are few and far between with only one or two units at each location and many being broken or out of operation for weeks at a time. The situation is shambolic and the EV-buying public is becoming very aware of the problems.

Tesla sales prove price and sparse choice not a barrier

Tesla currently has only two variants of EV for sale in Australia. The average purchase cost is $80,000, therefore price and lack of choice have very little bearing on a sale.

A convenient and reliable charging infrastructure does. Unfortunately, the federal government’s promised “DC chargers every 150kms” is just a talking point.

And it is likely to continue through to the next election. Every month of delay is crushing legacy auto while simultaneously helping cement Tesla as the dominant sales leader for many years.

You cannot charge electric vehicles from media releases.