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Internal Combustion Engines

29 January 2021

­It’s not the end of the road just yet

The humble internal combustion engine, while over 100 years old, continues to dominate the vehicle market in Australia – despite some countries having their sights set on 2030 as the end date for sales.

While 2030 seems a long way off, it’s not in the vehicle development and manufacturing world. And it should be remembered that, in all likelihood, the politicians driving the ban will no longer be in power when the flag falls on this engineering masterpiece. 

It’s interesting that recent overseas policy moves will see engine manufacturers globally rethinking their production runs, when almost all new models generate efficiency gains each year and use less fuel for more driving miles.

Currently, the Australian Government is not giving anything away when it comes to policy on our own future vehicle fleet, and a much-promised report is yet to materialise.

However, out of the blocks early are Victoria and South Australia, the former deciding to start charging electric vehicles on a 2.5 cent/km rate from July 2021.

That may sound like a backwards move, but EV owners are road users too, so they should pay their fair share to maintain the country’s extensive road network.

I wonder what will happen in countries that set a date for an electric vehicle fleet changeover. Many motorists may just hang onto their old cars for longer, the result being an aging vehicle fleet due to insufficient EV supply or inflated prices because there’s no alternative.

Words: VACC CEO, Geoff Gwilym. As featured in the Herald Sun 29 January 2021.

Share your thoughts! E: ceo@vacc.com.au

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