Australia's first 'electric highway' will be rolled out in Western Australia if Perth devotees of the cars have their way.

The push is on for a network of charging stations in up to 35 towns in Western Australia's south west, including the tourist getaway of Margaret River.

It would be a game changer for electric vehicle (EV) owners, many of whom currently think twice about leaving the city.

"You can't just drop into a petrol station," said Patti McBain, whose converted Ford Focus has a range of about 125 kilometres.

"You have to plug in somewhere."

The fear of running out of charge is called "range anxiety" in electric car vernacular, a dialect that also includes the term "EV grin".

"That's the big silly grin you get on your face when you put your foot to the floor, you twist the throttle and you're like, wow, this is really cool," said Chris Jones, another self-confessed EV addict and member of the Electric Vehicle Association.

"It's a very unique driving experience, it's silent, it's smooth. The instantaneous torque is really something to behold."

Low uptake of EVs

To date, only a tiny percentage of Australian drivers have experienced the "EV grin".

There are still only about 700 EVs on the road in Australia, compared to about 180,000 in the United States and 21,000 in Norway.

Kirsten Rose of the Sustainable Energy Association says Australia is lagging behind due to the lack of public policy on electric cars.

"There is little or no support for getting these cars on the road at the moment," she said.

Ms Rose says Australia needs to follow the lead of the US and Europe and introduce financial incentives, such as rebates, if it is to get up to speed with the benefits of EVs.

"In our cities, air quality and air pollution is an increasing issue and EVs have no emissions so there is a very significant public health benefit that needs to be quantified," she said.

The Motor Trade Association agrees incentives need to be introduced if electric cars are to move from a niche market into the mainstream.

Chief executive Stephen Moir says although prices are falling, the average electric vehicle on the Australian market is about twice the price of its petrol equivalent.

The Electric Vehicle Association says while the upfront costs are high, the running costs are minimal.

"Once you've bought the electric car or motorcycle, you're looking at less than three cents per kilometre to drive whereas a petrol-powered car might be something like 12," Mr Jones said.

"The fact that you can generate your own electricity on your roof for free and charge your car and drive around for free, is a winner.

"And they need virtually no maintenance."

Lack of charging stations a barrier to greater uptake

The Motor Trade Association argues that there is not nearly enough public charging infrastructure around Australia and that this is another big barrier to EV uptake.

"Consumers won't commit a large amount of money unless there are facilities to keep that vehicle on the road," Mr Moir said.

The Motor Trade Association says there is a lack of electric car infrastructure. ( ABC News )

"The predictions are that by 2016, 30 per cent of world manufacturing will be focused on hybrid and electric cars.

"The rest of the world is well ahead of us in this game, particularly in Europe where they have charging stations at every major shopping centre and all major facilities."

The West Australian electric car fraternity is doing its bit to address the shortage of infrastructure and is lobbying local councils to fund the electric highway through the state's south west.

Each of the proposed 35 stations would feature a direct current charger which could power the average EV in about half an hour.

"You've effectively got a captive audience for 20 minutes to half an hour in each town and while your car is charging, you can [get] a coffee and read the paper," Mr Jones said.

"The local councils in these towns, they want people to stop and this is a great way to do it. This is a real boon for tourism."