【Ferro-alloys.com】Australia's government has pledged A$178 million ($131.6 million) in new funding to support the uptake of low-emissions vehicles.

Register Now  This expands Australia's Future Fuels Fund to A$250 million and the government estimates that its strategy will result in more than A$500 million in combined private and public co-investment in so-called "future fuels", Prime Minister Scott Morrison and minister for emissions reduction Angus Taylor said Nov. 9.
This, the government estimates, will result in charging infrastructure in more than 400 businesses, 50,000 households, in excess of 1,000 new public access fast charging stations, and facilitate 1.7 million EVs on the road by 2030.

Hydrogen refueling infrastructure, heavy and long-distance vehicle technologies, and commercial fleets are also areas of focus.

The government, however, rejected calls to provide subsidies, or tax concessions, for the low-emissions vehicles.

"We will not be forcing Australians out of the car they want to drive, or penalizing those who can least afford it through bans or taxes," Morrison said.

The strategy, which comes ahead of the Nov. 10 COP26 transport day, did not include minimum fuel efficiency standards with the omission panned by industry.

"Fuel efficiency standards are the absolute bare minimum of what you would expect in any 21st century plan," Australia's Electric Vehicle Council CEO Behyad Jafari said.

"Future Fuels is certainly an advance on the government's rhetoric of the last election. The strategy has identified some of the correct benefits and pathways, but it does little to realize them," he said.

• [Editor:zhaozihao]