Summary: Australia’s EV Boom: Affordable Cars, V2G & Why the UK is Jealous

Podcast: Everything Electric Podcast (The Fully Charged Show)
Date: November 24, 2025
Host: Robert Llewellyn
Co-host: Jack
Location: Everything Electric Melbourne event

Episode Overview

This vibrant and freewheeling live episode, recorded at Everything Electric Melbourne, sees hosts Robert Llewellyn and Jack reflecting on Australia’s rapid EV (electric vehicle) transition, why the UK is jealous, and what’s driving such spectacular change down under. They share observations from the event, discuss affordability, charging and solar benefits, innovations like vehicle-to-grid (V2G), and field audience questions on policy, market obstacles, and the future of cleaner mobility.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Australian EV Landscape: Rapid Change, Accessibility, and Attitude

• Expansion beyond Tesla:

  • Six to seven years ago, Australia was primarily “just dripping with Teslas, the occasional Nissan Leaf,” but now “this is really starting to change” with a diversity of models and widespread adoption.
    Robert Llewellyn (02:20-03:35)

• EVs are Becoming “Just Cars”:

  • EVs are now mainstream enough that average drivers think of them simply as cars, not tech novelties—“my niece…plugs her car in and then she drives it and that’s the end of it.”
    Robert (03:35-04:18)

• Affordability & the Chinese EV Influx:

  • Australia skipped the “expensive and rubbish” phase of EVs; they’re now “super affordable” compared to the UK, aided by a flood of high-quality Chinese EV models targeting the Australian market first.
    Jack (04:19-05:20)

  “You guys get the really, really, really affordable stuff first… and then you combine that with the fact that there is this… thing called sun.”
  — Jack (05:18)

2. Solar Power, V2G, and Energy Advantages

• Solar + EV = Major Benefit:

  • Abundant rooftop solar makes running an EV “so cheap here… It’s just such an exciting thought to have your own little generator on your roof.”
    Jack (05:24-06:01)

• Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) Potential:

  • Trials in Australia likely to outpace those in the UK due to solar resource:

    “I think you’re going to be ahead of anywhere else in the world… your [V2G] tests are going to be earlier and more effective because of the amount of solar you can generate.”
    — Robert (06:02-07:00)

• UK Jealousy:

  • A Nissan Ariya is AUD$55k in Australia vs. AUD$70k equivalent in the UK—despite being made in the UK.

    “It’s just the most ridiculous, weird thing.”
    — Robert (07:00)

• Solar Yields Comparison:

  • Australian solar blows UK out of the water:

    “There are probably people here with a sort of panel on their roof the size of one of my shoes that are harvesting more energy than you are on any given day in the Cotswolds.”
    — Jack (07:15)

  • Robert’s best UK solar day in summer: 64 kWh; worst in winter: 2.7 kWh. Australia’s yield is far steadier.

3. Experiences with Full Self Driving

• Test Drives of Tesla Full Self Driving (FSD):

  • Both Jack and Robert are impressed:

    “Terrifyingly good.” — Jack (09:33)
    “It was truly impressive… it steered round a little roundabout better than I would have done.” — Robert (08:48)

  • Awareness there are already even more advanced systems in China and the US.

4. Reflections on 15 Years of Fully Charged

• Humble Origins:
  • Robert recalls bringing his Nissan Leaf to a village fete in 2012:

    “That’s how I started out with car shows… parked next to the coconut shy.” (10:40-11:40)

  • Surprised and grateful at the success of live events.

5. Audience Q&A Highlights

a. Why is EV Uptake Still Relatively Low in Australia?

[14:35]

• Barriers:

  • Electric cars face economic and industry inertia (“potent forces”) including the oil lobby and negative press.
  • Many myths persist: fires, battery issues, range anxiety.
    “Stories in the press… hold people back.”

• Critical Mass Needed:

  • Word of mouth is crucial: once neighbors see EVs in regular use over years without problems, curiosity overcomes hesitation.

  • Charging infrastructure perception (and reality) remains a barrier, especially public and on-street charging.

    “No amount of advertising or YouTube videos... will really push those numbers. What happens is there’s a bloke over the road who’s got a Renault Zoe… and they’re still driving them four years later. That... word of mouth… is where you’re at in this country.”
    — Robert (14:56-17:43)

    “Be a good ambassador for it and bring your most cynical friend next year.”
    — Jack (18:20-19:07)

b. Which Policies Should Australia Adopt/Adapt?

[19:11]

• Norwegian Example:

  • Huge purchase tax cut for EVs, high tax for high-emission ICE cars—makes EVs clearly the smart financial choice.
    “You have to make it make so much sense to people’s wallets.”

• Subsidies: Pros and Cons:

  • Jack is pro-incentive (“more stick with the carrot”), Robert is wary of “subsidies for rubbish cars.”

  • The biggest shift in the UK came not from incentives, but a blossoming used EV market as corporate lease vehicles became available.

    “The percentage of secondhand vehicle sales went up… a lot… A lot of people have bought secondhand cars [and] are raving about them.”
    — Robert (20:22-22:38)

  • Battery health checking is straightforward now, giving buyers more confidence.

c. The Role of Secondhand EVs

• Used EVs make up an increasingly big share; their affordability and reliability help accelerate mass adoption.

d. EVs vs. Traditional Cars: Price Parity

• Mention of the first all-electric version of a well-known car being cheaper than either the petrol or hybrid variants.

  “The cheap version is the electric one… about a thousand pounds cheaper than the petrol or the hybrid version.”
  — Robert (23:33-24:08)

• Shift away from “distracting” electronics/interfaces in cars; legacy automakers and even Tesla reverting to simpler, physical controls.

e. Mileage Charges and Taxation

[27:05-31:49]

• Governments are starting to grapple with how to replace lost fuel tax revenue as cars electrify.
• Mileage-based road charging is under discussion, but with tricky cross-border questions (e.g., do you pay mileage tax on kilometers driven abroad?).
• Robert sees a period of “massive setbacks in some countries, support in others… I don’t think we know [the answer].”

f. Weight-Based Taxation for Cars

[32:01]

• Paris has set a precedent with city-based charges targeting large, heavy vehicles (especially SUVs).

• Jack and Robert favor taxing based on weight to discourage “car obesity” in cities and promote smaller, lighter, more efficient models, with caveats on fairness for those with genuine needs for bigger vehicles.

  “Electric cars just get better and better when they are smaller and lighter... It’s just absurd…a normal sized vehicle for one person is a two and a half ton box.”
  — Jack (33:53-35:06)

6. Tone and Notable Banter

• The duo keep things informal, witty, and candid, poking fun at themselves, manufacturers, and cultural quirks—there’s plenty of “squeaky bum time” football analogies, “sustainable Bond villain” jokes, and friendly jibes at Norwegian wealth and Aussie solar luck.

Memorable Quotes

• “You skipped the bit where everything was just really expensive and a bit rubbish. You’ve got really high quality EVs. Super affordable cars are so cheap here compared to back home. Really not fair.”
  — Jack (04:19)

• “My niece… plugs her car in and then she drives it and that’s the end of it.”
  — Robert (03:50)

• “It can be free to run [an EV] and it could almost be… you could reach a point where your electric car is free to drive and also makes you money. That is weird… the fact that it’s plausible is crazy.”
  — Robert (08:17)

• “Terrifyingly good.”
  — Jack on Full Self Driving (09:33)

• “Be a good ambassador for [EVs] and bring your most cynical friend next year.”
  — Jack (18:20)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:01-04:18]: Observations on Australia’s EV market evolution
• [04:19-05:20]: Affordability & Chinese EV influence
• [05:20-06:02]: Solar power and EV synergy
• [06:02-07:00]: Vehicle-to-grid potential & UK price envy
• [08:48-10:30]: Experiences with Tesla Full Self Driving
• [10:40-11:55]: 15-year reflection on Fully Charged’s journey
• [14:35-19:07]: Q&A—Why is EV uptake >10%? Word of mouth, myths, infrastructure
• [19:11-23:33]: Policy Q&A—Norwegian incentives, UK used market, subsidy debate
• [23:33-25:12]: EV price parity and the rise of “digital detox” vehicles
• [27:05-31:49]: Q&A—Road taxing, charging for mileage, policy complexity
• [32:01-35:06]: Q&A—Taxing vehicles by weight & right-sizing cars

Conclusion

This lively episode captures Australia’s unique position as an emerging global leader in EV adoption. Key drivers include affordability (especially via Chinese imports), abundant solar energy, and a population growing ever more comfortable with EVs as “just cars.” While challenges remain—policy, charging myths, and declining fuel tax revenues—the future looks bright. The UK’s lingering jealousy is offset by lessons learned about the crucial role of word-of-mouth, used markets, and simple test drives in winning public trust.

Listen to this episode for an enjoyably frank, funny, and insightful perspective on where the global EV revolution is headed—and why Aussies just might get there first.