04:24

Lead us not into Derptation: some gems from the Coalition’s EV vault



While all the nonsense about electric vehicles keeps thundering through the Claytons election campaign, just a couple of fun facts from the Coalition’s EV vault.



Josh Frydenberg, when he was environment minister, advocated for the pollution standards Scott Morrison now wants to characterise as a “war on the weekend”. As recently as August 2017 Frydenberg said efficiency standards were about “reducing fuel costs and carbon emissions at the same time”.

“In Australia in 2016 the average amount of CO2 emitted per kilometre was 182 grams, while the EU is moving to 100 grams per kilometre by 2021, and in the US the target is 105 grams/km by 2025,” he said.

Frydenberg said if Australia had fuel efficiency standards in line with comparable nations, “estimates of the fuel saving per passenger vehicle could be above $500 per year, or nearly $28bn in total by 2040. Given the long distances travelled in regional Australia, the savings could be even greater for people living outside the main cities.”



Just in case you were wondering, the standard Labor has flagged in the 105 grams/km that Frydenberg referenced in 2017 (which was a live option the then Turnbull government looked at before retiring hurt, clubbed by motoring groups, the Institute of Petroleum, and the Nationals).

Another fun fact.

If you go to the website of the environment department and poke around for information about the emissions reduction fund, you will find the government’s story hasn’t quite caught up with itself.



In a document explaining the emissions reduction fun (rebadged the climate solutions fund by Scott Morrison recently) the government claims emissions reduction through “the emissions reduction fund and its safeguard mechanism; support for the uptake of renewable energy and energy efficiency; vehicle emission standards; and measures to reduce ozone depleting greenhouse gases”.

These would be the vehicle emissions standards Morrison says will lead to the confiscation of utes.



Really does pay to get your story straight. At least a little bit straight.