Key to Net Zero: Investigating Victoria’s EV Gap
The Climate Change Act was passed in 2022 to target zero emissions for all sectors in Australia, by 2050 (Net Zero Economy Authority, n.d.). To aid with the transition, Australia also has a plan to reach its emissions levels from 2005 by 2035 (Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water [DCCEEW], 2025). While the electricity sector has made remarkable progress through the renewable energy transition, transport emissions are going the opposite direction. This report examines the factors driving consistently high transport emissions, with a focus on Victoria. It explores whether greater adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) could reduce emissions from passenger cars, a major contributor to the sector’s emissions, and considers whether EVs are an accessible solution for all Victorians or primarily for higher-income households. There are many ways the transport sector’s emissions can be decreased, but looking at the possibility of shifting to EV vehicles is just one angle to look at.
Since 2005, electricity has been the only energy subcategory whose emissions are consistently decreasing. On the other hand, the transport energy subcategory has failed to decline, and it has actually risen above the 2005 baseline it was supposed to work towards reaching by 2035. Slowly, it has moved further from the net zero target, ever since the Climate Change Act was passed in 2022.
p1Breaking transport into its modes reveals that road transport consistently accounts for the overwhelming majority of emissions. Aviation, rail, and maritime forms or transport account for very little.
p2Among road vehicles, cars and light vehicles significantly dwarf every other category combined. This highlights their contribution to Australia’s transport emissions, and their potential impact should this sector’s emissions be reduced.
p3Given that car emissions are the top contributors to the transport sector’s consistently high amounts of emissions, electric (EV) or hybrid vehicles are a viable solution to reduce these emissions. Zooming into Victoria, however, a clear pattern is seen, where wealthier postcodes have higher EV ownership rates.
p4Mapped across Victoria, the EV divide becomes geographic. Wealthy inner-eastern suburbs are shaded darker, indicating more EV car ownership. Outside this are communities below the SEIFA percentile, which could be home to renters, younger families, or households with lower socio-economic status. Perhaps if EV use can reach these outer suburbs, Australia’s transport emissions can decrease far enough to meet its 2050 target.
#EV Share & Socio-Economic Status Per Victorian Postcode
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