Foundation backed by Mike Cannon-Brookes invests $10m in bid to cut secondhand electric car cost

In Australia new and secondhand electric vehicles and hybrids can be independently imported where the manufacturer is not already selling that vehicle in Australia.

However, carmakers with a presence in Australia and their industry representatives have historically argued against relaxing the rules around secondhand imports.

It is unclear how the new federal Labor government will proceed as a recent consultation paper examining the introduction of fuel efficiency and CO2 standards was silent on the issue.

“Some stakeholders have called for regulation to be relaxed to enable a wider range of second hand and new EVs to be imported,” it said.

“While this could increase the number and reduce the cost of second hand EVs available for purchase, it will need to be considered against the potential for increased safety, business and consumer protection risks.”