Australian politicians ignore electric cars, stick with petrol

The electric vehicle revolution seems to have bypassed Australia’s federal politicians, with only a small proportion choosing electric vehicles as taxpayer-funded cars.

As part of their pay, federal MPs may request a Commonwealth-leased Personal Vehicle (PPV) or an additional voter allowance of $19,500 per year. Members of the House of Representatives with an electorate greater than 300,000 square miles can request up to two four-wheel drives.

Data released to this legal notice under freedom of information laws shows that of the makes and models identified, only three of Australia’s 227 federal elected officials had chosen all-electric vehicles as their taxpayer-funded mode of transport. All three drove Tesla 3s.

There were, however, some green shoots among other vehicle choices. At least two politicians opted for hybrid vehicles, both Toyota Priuse.

Two Toyota Camrys were among the vehicles selected, although there was no data on whether they were among the available hybrid models.

Thirty-four vehicles were listed as “Other – non-standard/not on current list” but there was no information as to whether any of these vehicles were electric vehicles.

The data was as of December 1st.

The most popular choice for politicians was the Toyota LandCruiser Prado (28), a large four-wheel drive that would be well-suited to a large rural constituency, followed by the Mazda CX-9 (21), a six- or seven-seat SUV.