Australia's Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, has announced that electric vehicle sales surpassed petrol vehicle sales for the first time in August. According to new car sales data for the month, pure electric vehicle sales exceeded 27,000 units, representing 24.9% of total new car sales and setting a new monthly record. Petrol car sales, meanwhile, came in at 25,824 units.

Electric vehicle sales surged 171% compared to the same period last year. When combining pure electric, plug-in hybrid, and standard hybrid models, these vehicles together accounted for more than half of all new car sales during the month.