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News - Motor Show - Melbourne - EV ShowEV Show charges into MelbourneOver a dozen OEMs take to the Melbourne stage to showcase the latest in EV technology30 Jun 2025 By MATT BROGAN MELBOURNE played host to the most recent instalment of the EV Show series over the weekend, the exhibition alternating between Melbourne and Sydney on an annual basis to showcase the latest electric and electrified vehicles – and related products – to Australian consumers.
Over a dozen OEMs were represented at the recent Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre event, giving ticketholders the opportunity to get a closer look at fresh-to-market offerings from a range of manufacturers and at varying price points.
Vehicles ranging from Segway’s micro-mobility offerings worth just a few hundred dollars to the million-dollar Rolls-Royce Spectre were on display, providing insights into the breadth of electrified transport currently available, and at some stands, a look at what lies ahead.
“We have pivoted in terms of where EVs are travelling, and I think each year from now on, as we present this show in Melbourne and Sydney, we’re going to see it grow more and more,” said event organiser, Future Drive AutoShows CEO Ray Evans.
“(There are) something like 70 new models arriving next year in 2026 … they are coming through in rapid time. This really is a magic carpet ride that we’re all on.”
While the array of product on display was impressive in its own right, the ability for the product to serve as a puzzle piece of Australia’s renewable power grid was also up for discussion.
Amber Electric CEO Dan Adams told showgoers that electric vehicles are not only an imperative piece of Australia’s personal transport solution, but a means of providing a reserve of electricity when the grid lacks sufficient capacity.
“The momentum that is building in the EV market right now is very exciting to see,” he said.
“Over the next five years, Australian households are set to buy three-million electric vehicles.
“Those EVs are not only going to save consumers billions of dollars on their petrol bills – and bring down Australian’s transport emissions – but they’re also an incredible asset that can accelerate the energy transition in Australia.
“If we can automate those EVs to charge when there are cheap deals in the grid, and then to discharge when the grid needs power, that will be the cheapest and fastest way to get us to get us to a 100 per cent renewable energy future.
“In fact, by 2030, there will be enough battery storage capacity in all our EVs to meet the entry energy storage requirements of the grid – if we can unlock it all.”
Mr Adams said that while this ability will require cooperation between utility providers, car-makers, and various levels of government, it could earn EV owners up to $3000 per annum from feed-in tariffs, further improving the value proposition of their vehicle moving forward.
Polestar, one of the premier electric vehicle importers to present its product line at the 2025 Melbourne EV Show, took the opportunity to discuss the growth of the electric vehicle market in the Australian context.
Australian CEO Scott Maynard labelled the level of growth from within the EV segment as “extraordinary”, estimating that growth will continue at an accelerated rate in the years leading up to the end of the decade.
“EV sales have had some fantastic years of extraordinary growth … and while we’re experienced a slow start to 2025, we have seen sales increase again more recently to show positive growth over the last month,” he said.
“It has been genuinely exciting to see lots of new electrified product brought to Australia. We’ve got 100 electrified models on sale in the market right now, which is a stark contrast to where we were even two years ago.
“The Australian new car market is already the most competitive in the world.
“With 70 brands competing for 1.2 million sales, it makes for a very exciting landscape to operate in.
“This new crop of electrified product really does push the focus back to that (electrified) form of transport and assists us in getting electric vehicles like these into the Australian vehicle fleet,” he said referring to the Polestar line-up on display.
Mr Maynard said he estimates the current Australian EV market share to be “better than seven per cent”, suggesting incoming improvements in charging infrastructure and governmental support will help to grow that share significantly in the years ahead.
While passenger vehicles may appear to hold the lion’s share of the EV market at present, the growing interest in electrified commercial vehicles is one Australian businesses are turning toward in increasing numbers, assisting in their push to become leaner and greener wherever possible.
Speaking with media gathered for the opening night of the 2025 Melbourne EV Show, light commercial vehicle importer Jameel Motors country general manager Charles Lin said products like the Farizon SuperVan and H9E light truck offer lower operating costs, zero emissions, and advanced safety and connectivity technologies traditional competitors cannot match.
“The Farizon product really defines the logistics and transport space in Australia, helping logistics operators transition to green,” he said,
“With comfort and safety in mind, the best range in its class, and a very modern interior, the Farizon product is also providing beneficial to those operators requiring V2L (vehicle-to-load) capacity, such as mobile coffee shop operators and the likes.”
Mr Lin said the SuperVan and H9E light truck were engineered from the get-go as electric vehicles, side-stepping the compromises often associated with competitors whose vehicles were adapted from diesel power.
“Everything within the brand was designed from the ground up as a new energy vehicle,” he explained.
“This is why we’re able to offer a low floor, a more spacious cabin, and a better driving range.
“We think that last point especially gives Farizon customers the confidence that this is a vehicle they can utilise on a daily basis, and we’re very happy with that result.”
The latest EV Show allowed ticketholders not only the opportunity to get up close and personal with passenger and commercial vehicles, but to also look at home and business charging alternatives, and at micro-mobility options like scooters and cycles.
Segway Australia and New Zealand director of sales and marketing Gino Casha told media gathered for the event’s opening night that micro-mobility options are becoming an increasingly favoured alternative to four-wheeled vehicles, noting that changing legislation is allowing greater numbers of such products to find their way into the personal transport mix.
“We offer a plethora of EV products … from kick scooters to all-terrain scooters, electric cycles and even a go-kart, our products are designed for short distances and are built with safety in mind,” he said, adding that Segway products are a cost-effective means of travelling shorter distances.
“An adult scooter will set you back around $800 and it’s the perfect commuter scooter. It has enough power to get up hills at a steady 25km/h and you can fold it up and take it with you on the train, for example.
“It offers a range of around 40 kilometres, while our cycles will achieve up to 130km, making them ideal for food delivery operators and the likes.”
Importantly, it is imperative users understand that the legislation surrounding e-scooter use varies considerably from state-to-state.
Some states and territories ban the use of e-scooters dependent on the age of the rider, and the speed at which the vehicle can achieve, while others prohibit use on public roads, in cycle lanes, and on footpaths.
In the host state of this year’s EV Show, Victoria, e-scooters must only be ridden one-up (no dinking) on shared-use paths (not footpaths) or on roads with a speed limit of up to 60km/h, by a helmeted operator older than 16 years, and at speeds under 20km/h.
Mr Casha said laws surrounding e-scooter use are changing to recognise the importance such vehicles play in helping to reduce congestion and emissions by eliminating the use of cars and internal combustion motorcycles for shorter distances.
He said the growing sales share of models like those from Segway are already pushing traditional brands out of the micro-mobility space.
“These vehicles save a whole heap of different emissions – our cycle dealers are traditionally Vespa dealers who tell us they’re losing sales of their petrol-powered models for that very reason – they are already making a big difference in getting petrol-powered motor-scooters off the road,” he added.
Smart joined the dozen-or-so manufacturers represented at the 2025 EV Show showcasing its #1 and #3 models for Melbourne showgoers.
Speaking to motoring journalists gathered for the event’s opening night, Smart Australia spokesperson John Kananghinis said the brand is continuing to innovate as a “reborn EV brand”, the models on show offering a high level of specification backed by the combined engineering efforts of Geely and Mercedes-Benz.
“The Smart #1 and #3 continue a history of innovation in urban mobility … and will be joined in the near future by the #5, which is an active lifestyle SUV that is significantly bigger than these cars,” he said.
“We are expecting the #5 towards the end of this year or the beginning of next year (the model) adding to a range of cars available with Smart EV mobility and available through Mercedes-Benz dealers in the LSH Auto network around the country.
“We have had a good level of market acceptance so far with people who appreciate a premium product, and the innovation Smart offers, and believe the #5 will provide even more opportunities.”
As is the case with several Chinese-sourced EV brands, Smart does not currently report its sales volume to the FCAI or the Electric Vehicle Council, Mr Kananghinis suggesting Smart is “into the significant triple figures, pushing four figures” in terms of sales volume, adding that it will be releasing official sales figures “in the near future”.
While the dealer-supported EV Show – Melbourne’s second automotive show of 2025 – saw a smattering of entrants from BYD, Chevrolet, Farizon, Ferrari, Ford, Kia, Lamborghini, Leapmotor, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, MG, Polestar, Smart, Volvo, Volkswagen, Xpeng, and Zeekr, there were obvious omissions from importers perhaps financially exhausted by the number of motor shows cropping up.
That sentiment could not, however, be applied to Xpeng, the local importer of which chose the event to launch its P7+ electric sedan for the first time outside of China or Europe.
In greeting the Melbourne crowd, True EV CEO Jason Clarke said the privately-owned Chinese brand (Xpeng) will continue to focus its efforts on producing vehicles that adapt to their owner’s personality and driving style through the use of AI, with the P7+ under consideration for the Australian market in the very near future.
“Our job at True EV is to see if there is a market for the P7+, so we’ve purchased this car and had it brought in to find if there is a good market for it,” he explained.
“While the price point and when it is coming to Australia is uncertain, we are building a business case that will in turn put pressure on head office to bring it to Australia.”  Read more7th of April 2025  Melbourne Motor Show a sell-out successTickets sell out as Aussie motorists rush to see the latest combustion and electric models26th of March 2025  IM Motors headed Down UnderMG luxury brand IM Motors set to make two-model debut at Melbourne Motor Show20th of March 2025  Melbourne Show: Aus debut for JAC T9 BEV uteJAC to premiere T9 EV dual-cab ute at Melbourne Motor Show, not yet confirmed for Oz |
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