Apartment living will remain a barrier to EV use as long as the building code remains unchanged, an EV advocate has argued.
The Commonwealth, State and Territory Building Ministers have agreed to pause the NCC until at least mid-2029.
A provision to ensure charging infrastructure for new residential buildings such as houses and townhouses will not be covered by the code as it now stands.
The Electric Vehicle Council says the delay will undermine the ability for Australia to electrify transport and reach climate targets of 62-70 per cnet reduction by 2035 requiring a massive increase in EV uptake.
Electric Vehicle Council CEO Julie Delvecchio says not including it in the code prevents new homeowners from easily accessing more affordable, smarter EV chargers at home.
Missing pieces
“This is a missed opportunity to embed practical, low-cost electrification measures into our building standards at a time when urgent action is needed to achieve the nation’s 2035 emissions reduction goals,” Delvecchio said.
“Simple measures like a dedicated circuit for EV charging at homes which would add only $200 to the cost of a new home while making it easier for Australians to charge their cars at home and escape the eye-watering cost of petrol have been left out of the updated Code.
“Every home built without these provisions will be more expensive to retrofit later, creating unnecessary barriers for Australian families wanting to make the switch to electric vehicles.
“Many policy levers need to be pulled to ensure that one in every two new cars on Australian roads is electric by 2035 – that includes increasing Australians’ access to EV affordable charging solutions. In line with overseas, we know that 85 per cent of Australians will charge their EVs at home, so ensuring new built residences are EV-ready makes going electric more cost effective for Australian families.
“We call on the state governments that are committed to helping their residents cut the cost of transport, to implement these low-cost, common sense changes in their states.”