Australian Tesla EV Owner Survey Results

741 Australian Tesla electric vehicle owners responded to a recent survey, providing interesting insights into EV ownership in this community.

The survey of Tesla Owners Club Australia members was carried out in partnership with the Electric Vehicle Council.

First, to some demographics:

• 60% of respondents lived in NSW and Victoria (30% each), 18% in QLD, 10% in the ACT, 4% in WA, 2% in TAS and 1% in the NT. The graph in the report shows 18% live in SA, but that looks to be a typo and more likely to be around 5% given the other numbers.
• The majority of respondents (51%) were aged between 50 and 69 years old, and 20% in the 40 – 49 age group.

Kilometres Clocked Up Annually

89% indicated they drive more than 10,000 kilometres per year in their Tesla, and 38% drive more than 20,000 km annually. 13.2% were clocking up more than 30,000 kilometres per year.

“This is important to highlight given it is often reported that non-EV owners perceive driving range as a significant barrier to adoption and suggests that EV ownership experience may help to address this misconception,” states the survey report.

Reasons For EV Purchase

The results indicating reasons for buying an electric vehicle were interesting, in that economic factors were down the list:

• Technology: 83.1%
• Environment: 78.2%
• Economic: 37.8%
• Fuel security: 24.5%
• Health: 19.9%

While interesting, it isn’t all that surprising as it was a similar scenario in the early days of home solar uptake. The early adopters were generally tinkerers, tech nerds and greenies with a bit of cash to spare. Tesla EVs are particularly pricey; but as electric cars become more widely available and their pricing drops, economic factors will soon push its way to the top of the list among all EV owners (all brands) – if it isn’t there already.

Have Tesla Owners’ Weekends Been Ruined?

Ex-PM Scott Morrison infamously declared in 2019 an EV won’t tow your trailer.

12% of survey respondents indicated they use their Tesla for towing, and it’s worth noting not all Tesla electric cars come with a factory option for towing.

Take that, Scotty!

What isn’t clear is what these owners are towing with their vehicles; i.e., the proportions of trailers, boats, caravans etc. But it would seem their weekends haven’t been ended as a result of EV ownership.

EV Charging Behaviour

• For all public EV charging types (Tesla Superchargers, Destination Chargers, Other DC chargers), approximately 90% of respondents reported using them less than once per week.
• 11% of respondents reported using workplace charging more than once a week.
• In relation to home EV charging, more than a quarter of respondents reported they charge daily. 17.3% charge just one day a week
• Around half of the respondents reported using home solar to charge their EV, and a further 25% reported using green energy/offsets.
• Almost half reported saving more than $2,000 per year on fuel costs.

“EV owners using home solar reported mainly charging during the day,” states the report. “These owners also reported charging overnight, but primarily around 1.00 am, for shorter durations – possibly only for short top-up charging sessions.”

Just 15% of all owners reported routinely charging during the evening peak, with a slightly higher proportion of Tesla EV owners without home solar installations doing so compared to those with solar panels.

The report authors state the data suggests current electricity plans with features such as time-of-use tariffs may already be sufficient for shifting the majority of EV charging outside of peak-hour periods – whether electric car owners have solar panels at home or not.

There are plenty of other interesting results in the full Insights Into Electric Vehicle Ownership survey report, which can be downloaded here.