Range anxiety, or the fear of running out of power in an electric vehicle with nowhere to charge it, is often cited among the reasons why Australia’s electric car take-up remains low.

However, a new survey conducted by electric vehicle (EV) lobby group Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) and the Tesla Owners Club of Australia (TOCA), claims to have dispelled the phenomenon as a myth, with a majority of the 741 Tesla drivers surveyed saying they travelled the same average kilometres per year as drivers of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

A statement from the EVC said the survey, which claims to be Australia’s largest ever of electric vehicle owners, found that 89% of Tesla owners drove more than 10,000km a year, while 38% exceeded 20,000km a year. 

The national average for all passenger vehicles in Australia is 12,100km annually, according to a June 2020 Australian Bureau of Statistics survey of motor use.

EVC Chief Executive Behyad Jafari said the study would be valuable for policy makers trying to boost Australia’s uptake of EVs, which at the end of September represented just 2.7% of all new vehicles sold.

“This study puts another nail in the coffin of the myth that driving range is an issue for EV owners with the vast majority driving the same average kilometres a year as Australia’s average passenger vehicle,” he said.

“We know range anxiety is a major impediment to people buying EVs. This finding is yet another reason showing there is nothing to fear.”

Tesla is the leading EV brand in Australia with 14,023 sales, as at September, of the 26,355 EVs and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) sold year-to-date.

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) reported the Tesla Model Y SUV was the country’s third best-selling model in September, behind the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.

Tesla vehicles typically have greater range than other EV makes and models and the company’s dedicated Tesla Supercharging network is well established with 51 active sites and 260 active DC fast-charging stalls across Australia.

This compares with the EVC’s most recent State of EVs report released in March, which shows there are 291 public fast charging locations including Tesla’s, and a further 1,580 regular charging locations.

The Tesla Model 3 Long Range currently boasts the longest range of any EV sold in Australia with 603km (WLTP), while the Model 3 Performance (547km) and Model 3 RWD (491km) are listed among the top 10 EV models for range.

 While there is a growing number of models that can travel 500km or more on a single charge, at the more affordable end of the spectrum, the standard Nissan Leaf has a range of just 270km (NEDC), while the Mazda MX-30 E35 Astina can only cover 200km (WLTP) between charges.

Other findings from the EVC survey included the fact that only 10% of respondents charged their vehicles at work, prompting Mr Jafari to suggest there is scope for employers to install charging infrastructure.

“If Australia introduced a fringe benefits tax exemption for workplace charging it would help align EV charging with daytime excess solar energy generation,” he said.

Other findings of the survey include:

•  The majority of drivers charge their vehicles during off-peak times, suggesting current market offers like time-of-use tariffs are working.
•  51% of Tesla drivers were aged between 50 and 69, with just 12% aged under 40.
•  Volkswagen and Toyota were the most common previously owned car before a Tesla.   
•  Almost half of respondents said they saved more than $2,000 on petrol a year, while 77% said they saved more than $1,000.
•  Technology (83%) and environment (78%) were the most common reasons for purchasing a Tesla.
•  65% did not have a regular servicing schedule and 41% saved more than $1,000 on maintenance costs.