Will Electric vehicles decarbonise drive tourism?

Abstract

This study examines the potential impact of the transition to battery operated electric vehicles (EVs) from internal combustion powered passenger vehicles (ICEs) on domestic drive tourism. It asks two core questions: whether EVs will hasten the move to a net zero domestic tourism sector and whether and how EVs will transform domestic tourism. The study, conducted in Queensland, Australia in mid-2023, concludes EVs will have a limited impact on drive tourism in the short to mid-term. Moreover, the substantial desire to continue to use traditional modes of transport or to substitute flying for driving suggests that transition to net zero tourism will remain an aspirational goal and not a realistic outcome of the shift to EVs.