August 2026

August 2026

August 2026 saw Australian EV sales more than double in the wake of the Iran war outbreak, underscoring how geopolitical fuel shocks continue to accelerate the shift away from petrol. Regional adoption features prominently, with Queensland's regions outpacing the south-east for EV growth and a new EV Friendly Towns Awards Program recognising communities embracing the transition. Coverage also turned practical, examining real-world running and maintenance costs for EV owners and framing public charging access as a fairness issue rather than a purely technical challenge. Policy and industry voices weighed in too, from Chris Bowen's National Press Club address on batteries and energy security to Polestar's case that sustainability is now a genuine sales driver. Rounding out the month, rising data centre power demand in NSW and Victoria and a new tool to help households plan their next step toward electrification highlight the deepening links between EVs, energy and the grid.

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July 2026

A fuel-price crisis emerges as the dominant driver of Australian EV demand, with electric vehicles approaching a quarter of new car sales, purchases occurring roughly every 77 seconds, and used EV sales also hitting records. Charging infrastructure expansion is a major secondary theme, covering a major retailer's rollout of chargers across dozens of stores, an expanded pole-mounted charger network in Victoria, boosted Tesla Supercharger capacity, and Europe's charging network outpacing EV sales targets. China's growing dominance of the global EV industry recurs repeatedly, raising questions about vehicle safety standards, Australia becoming a dumping ground for unsellable models, and Chinese consumers adapting EVs for road-trip camping. Commercial and fleet electrification also features prominently, with a Queensland-built electric truck entering production, a large supermarket-linked truck rollout, and a new international airport running its ground support almost entirely on electric equipment. Policy debate continues around road user charges and updated home charging tax rates, while manufacturer news spans a more affordable electric van, refund commitments after a vehicle mix-up, and ongoing customer compensation issues at another brand.

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July 2026