Australia’s slow uptake of electric vehicles has led to the spread of a cottage industry in parallel imports, with small businesses springing up to bring in low-cost second-hand cars from Japan.
Many are Nissan Leafs, but small transit vans are also becoming popular. Regulations prevent these small importers from bringing in models already available on the Australian market. Mr Broese van Groenou says he believes it will be impossible for Australia to meet its emissions reductions targets without rapidly electrifying its car fleet. But without federal incentives the process is not moving fast enough, he says.
Mr Jafari has also called on governments to buy electric cars in their fleets to build a healthy second-hand market. As they wait for the licence, Mr Klose says he is watching the price of stock go up with demand. Japan also only has a limited number of electric cars on the road and the New Zealand government recently started offering purchasers of EVs a rebate, creating a surge of demand in that country for Japanese cast-offs.