FLEETDRIVE
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New World Order
The UK was one of the first nations to legislate a net zero emissions target , in June 2019 . Now they have ‘ upped the ante ’ and announced a 2030 ban on sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles .
Notably , they have also put an expiry date on Hybrid vehicles of 2035 which shows a clear intention to eliminate all internal combustion engines .
Interestingly , the four big global automotive markets ( US , Europe , Japan , and China ) have put in place clear targets for their transition to zero emission vehicles . This provides their automotive manufacturing industries with clear policy direction as they work designing vehicles to be built and sold over the next 10 + years .
Australia Government - Future Fuels Strategy
Regrettably , the recent release of the Future Fuels Strategy Discussion Paper by the Australian Government has done little to align
with the enormous efforts of both foreign governments and our own industry leaders in the world ’ s move to zero emissions .
The paper subscribes us to be ‘ followers ’ in an area where we should be taking a ‘ leadership ’ position . In summary , the government is relying on the incredible advances being made by industry both here and overseas in the advancement of these technologies .
It ’ s a clear case of there being a number of advantages arising from ‘ sitting on the sidelines ’, particularly in a fiscal sense . It speaks of encouraging businesses to make the switch and its optimism for the technological evolution underway that will make the transition inevitable .
The government will however continue its cosponsorship of Electric Vehicle and Hydrogen refuelling infrastructure through its Future Fuels Fund .
ISSUE 27 FEBRUARY 2020 / WWW . AFMA . ORG . AU 27