Replacing 1m petrol cars with EVs could cut Australia’s reliance on foreign fuel by 1bn litres a year

Electric vehicles can play a meaningful role in reducing Australia’s reliance on foreign fuel while contributing to the net zero emissions goal. Photograph: James Ross/AAP

Australia could reduce its reliance on foreign fuel by more than 1bn litres a year if it replaced 1m petrol-fuelled cars with electric vehicles, as experts say boosting EV adoption is part of securing the nation’s long-term economic security.

Hussein Dia, a professor of transport technology and sustainability at the Swinburne University of Technology, said electric vehicles can play a meaningful role in improving Australia’s energy sovereignty, as well as contributing to the national net zero emissions goal.