Key points

• Electric vehicle sales are up but car companies aren’t transitioning fast enough.
• Active lobbying from car companies against the transition to EVs continues.
• The federal government is developing a national electric vehicle strategy

Global sales of zero-emissions vehicles have more than doubled for the first time in five years, but no major automotive companies are transforming quickly enough to meet the goal of keeping global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.

Greenpeace’s Auto Environmental Guide 2022, to be released on Thursday, reports zero-emission vehicles accounted for 5 per cent of global automotive sales in 2021, up from 2 per cent in 2020. It ranks the world’s 10 biggest car manufacturers on their decarbonisation actions.

Overall, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen performed comparatively better; Ford, Hyundai-Kia, Renault and Stellantis (the conglomerate behind a range of car brands including Fiat, Peugeot and Citroen) were all average performers and Honda, Nissan and Toyota shared the lowest ranking.

But although the global stock of electric cars has surpassed 10 million, 99 per cent of the world’s vehicles still burn fossil fuels, the report finds, with transport accounting for about one fifth of global carbon dioxide emissions.

In 2021, all the world’s major automotive companies sold more zero-emissions vehicles (ZEV), with some relying heavily on the Chinese market. General Motors and Honda sold the majority – 96 per cent and 83 per cent respectively – of their non-polluting cars in China by the first half of 2022.

Australian sales are not captured in this report, but other figures show there were 20,700 electric vehicle sales in 2021, up from the 6900 sold in 2020. Electric cars now make up almost 2 per cent of Australia’s new car market.

Transport is Australia’s third largestsource of greenhouse gas emissions, with the highest rate of growth.Credit:Wayne Taylor

The Greenpeace report ranks Toyota as the worst on decarbonisation, saying the company had fallen behind other major manufacturers on climate policy and the adoption of electric vehicles.

By 2029, only 14 per cent of Toyota’s worldwide production is forecast to be battery electric vehicles, compared with other major manufacturers such as Ford and Volkswagen Group which are projected to reach 36 per cent and 43 per cent respectively.

Greenpeace Australia-Pacific campaigner Violette Snow said: “Australia is one of the only countries in the world without fuel efficiency standards to regulate climate pollution from cars.”

“This means we are open to old, out-dated models that are more highly polluting.”

Active lobbying from car companies against the transition to zero-emissions vehicles continues, the Greenpeace reports notes.

For example, despite investors’ protests last year, Toyota lobbied the Japanese government to ensure allowances were made for hybrids in its upcoming economic policy, allowing them to be counted equally alongside zero-emissions cars.

In its report, Greenpeace says Toyota – one of the world’s biggest and most trusted car manufacturers – also has an international track record of lobbying against vehicle pollution standards, and actively working to slow the uptake of electric vehicles.

In response, a spokesperson said that Toyota was focused on achieving a long-term and sustainable future as it moved to its ultimate objective of carbon neutrality.

“Carbon is the enemy, and, as the largest supplier of hybrid vehicles in Australia – 290,000 sold since 2001 – Toyota Australia has made a significant contribution to reducing vehicle tailpipe emissions in this country,” Greenpeace said.

Recently, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald revealed that car industry, through the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, had launched a secret campaign to delay Australia’s transition to electric vehicles.

Chamber chief executive Tony Weber said the body had been calling for a federally led, government mandated carbon dioxide target for the light-vehicle sector since 2020.

“We look forward to working with the government to develop a plan to reduce vehicle emissions,” Weber said.

Australia is one of the few countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development without national standards regulating carbon emissions of new vehicles. The federal government is considering a national electric vehicle strategy, which would include standards.

Electric Vehicle Council spokesperson Behyad Jafari said: “Like the rest of the world, Australia is now finally having a conversation about transition to ZEV.”

“Yes, there are voices trying to muddy that with conversation … but we need to focus on how we best encourage Australians to access the vehicles they clearly want.”

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