Labor’s local weather and vitality spokesman Chris Bowen has taken supply of a brand new Tesla Mannequin 3, changing into the third federal Labor MP to go electrical with a Tesla, and elevating the prospect that Australia could quickly – for the primary time – have a federal vitality minister who drives an EV.
Bowen, as we foreshadowed earlier this week, took supply of his Mannequin Three on Wednesday, simply days after taking a rented EV on a visit from Canberra to Victoria, and being gently ribbed by the Twitter crowd for doing so.
Together with his new buy, made underneath the parliamentary allowance normal for all MPs, Bowen follows Labor’s former leader Bill Shorten, and Perth-based Labor MP Patrick Gorman in going electrical with a Tesla.
The Liberals’ Katie Allen also has one. Others are getting some publicity to EVs because the parliamentary fleet now features two of them. (If you understand of different MPs who’ve an EV, please do tell us).
With a federal election due in Could, Bowen might change into federal local weather and vitality minister, and could have quite a bit in widespread with another state ministers such as NSW Liberal Matt Kean, who additionally drives a Mannequin 3, and ACT Inexperienced Shane Rattenbury, who drives a Nissan Leaf.
That shall be a giant change from the present minister, Angus Taylor, who aside from repeatedly declaring there’s an excessive amount of wind and photo voltaic within the grid, ignoring invites to open wind and photo voltaic farms, proposing subsidies for coal vegetation and calling for a gas-led restoration, also says he doesn’t want to drive an EV.
See: Angus Taylor: “I’m not driving an electric car”
Whereas the federal Coalition sought to dismiss and make a mockery of EVs within the final election marketing campaign (“They can’t tow your boat” and they’re going to “ruin the weekend”), Labor’s new coverage models a scenario where nine out of 10 new car sales are electric or hybrid by 2030.
It is going to assist obtain this by offering exemptions on fringe advantages tax and import tax, mandating EV targets for presidency fleets, serving to non-public fleets go electrical, and boosting charging infrastructure.
“Coming from to this point behind, Australia wants to maneuver quick on EVs,” Bowen instructed The Pushed. “So I reckon it’s incumbent on these of us is in public life if we will lead by instance if we will, and present that the swap is less complicated than many individuals suppose.”
Bowen’s Mannequin Three is a base degree Commonplace Vary plus, with white paint that comes at no further value (in contrast to different colors). At a retail value of round $60,000 it may also have certified for rebates and stamp responsibility exemptions on supply from the NSW authorities. (It carries NSW quantity plates).
If Bowen does use his Tesla to journey to Canberra when federal parliament sits, he might all the time cease in Goulburn on the way in which by for a high up on the Tesla Superchargers. Taylor’s citizens workplace is simply up the highway. Maybe Bowen might drop in for a chat, and even supply him a elevate.
Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of The Driven, and likewise edits and based the Renew Economy and One Step Off The Grid internet sites. He has been a journalist for almost 40 years, is a former enterprise and deputy editor of the Australian Monetary Evaluate, and owns a Tesla Mannequin 3.