By 2030, the government is pushing for half of new car sales in Victoria to be zero emissions vehicles, with $3000 subsidies available for buyers to inject spending into the growing market.
The initial 4000 subsidies were made available on Sunday, May 2, with more than 20,000 expected to be released in the coming months.
Zero Carbon Tatura convener Terry Court, who owns a hybrid vehicle, said any incentive to increase the uptake of clean electric vehicles was positive.
“As a region, we need to grab these things,” he said.
“Pure electric is the way to go. What matters now is how far we go.
“We've got to ramp it up and increase the take-up.”
As part of the package, $19 million will be invested to rollout at least 50 charging stations on major highways and tourist attractions across regional Victoria and the CBD - tripling the existing network of 24 sites statewide.
Shepparton currently has three charging station sites, two at the Shepparton Art Museum and one at Belstack Strawberry farm.
A Greater Shepparton Council spokesperson said four more stations would be rolled out across two sites - Fraser St in Shepparton and McLennan St in Mooroopna - in the coming months.
Mr Court said alongside subsidies and extra charging stations, public transport should be improved in regional cities and towns, with the aid of regular electric rail.
“We want less cars, not more, and we need an increase in electric car brands Australians are able to purchase,” he said.
“Other countries have 30 to 40 varieties to choose from.
“The uptake here has been slow, and the cost is one thing, but the more options we have, the price will go down.”
The package forms part of the state government's net zero emissions target by 2050, with a 28 to 33 per cent reduction by 2025 and a 45 to 50 per cent reduction by 2030.
Hinging on the $100 million package is a "zero and low-emissions road user charge,” taxing electric and hybrid car owners to roll out infrastructure on the roads.
A $10 million investment will be made to add zero emission vehicles to the government's fleet, alongside a $5 million innovation fund to inject electric cars in the commercial sector.
Mr Court predicted as the market expanded, electric cars would play "a big part" in how energy was managed at home.
“The maintenance going forward is nearly zero, and they run for a lot longer,” he said.
“A whole lot of costs are dramatically reduced.”
UPDATE:
A previous version of this article claimed that Shepparton does not currently have electric charging stations.
This is incorrect, Shepparton does have charging stations. There are two at the new Shepparton Art Museum and one at Belstack Strawberry Farm.
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