Australia still lags behind the US in the transition to EVs a new report reveals, with the latest figures showing how much work needs to be done to meet 2035 targets.
Alliance for Automotive Innovation’s Get Connected Electric Vehicle Report Q2 2025 shows there are 6.5 million electric vehicles (EVs) on US roads or 2.25 per cent of the whole car fleet.
The US also has 217,929 public charging outlets — a ratio of 30 EVs for every public port, according to the
Despite some surges in sales in 2025 including the highest quarter ever, Australia’s uptake remains below two per cent of the overall car parc with some estimates having one EV charging station for every 35 cars in 2024 but some figures have it as high as one charger for every 68 cars.
Both ratios are well behind the world leader of one charger per 10-11 vehicles in the EU, with the Netherlands and Norway leading the way.
Charging station access has been quoted as one of the key barriers to EV uptake with range anxiety repeatedly cited as a reason Australians are postponing EV purchases.
Last month the federal government launched its 2035 emissions reductions targets and decarbonising the transport sector with advocates saying 20 times as many EVs would need to be sold to meet the target.
Slight drop
EV sales in the US have dropped slightly to 9.5 per cnet of new light-duty vehicle sales in the last quarter, down from a high of 10.9 per cent in Q4 2024.
The report notes that this strong uptake is despite federal EV policies shifting under the Trump administration including the elimination of consumer EV tax credits after Sept. 30, 2025 but this data id for trends that occurred before the tax incentive elimination
“Since then, national sales data have shown a noticeable uptick as consumers rush to purchase EVs while the credit is still available,” the report notes.
“Nevertheless, EVs remain an important part of the U.S. market, both in response to consumer demand and in the larger picture of U.S. global competitiveness.”