One Launceston car dealer said it was committed to only selling electric vehicles by 2026.

The Examiner spoke with four EV experts to understand why EVs are the way forward when buying a vehicle and how best to include all Tasmanian drivers in the EV experience.

Andrea Persico, an EV and charging infrastructure consultant and a Carbon Zero Initiative Clean Energy Champion, said, "Not all dealers want to sell you a petrol car, but the ones that do are probably getting a commission.

They profit from the amount of servicing fees they can charge on petrol-run cars and lack enough knowledge of EVs," she said.

Ms Persico thinks that peer pressure also influences consumers' decisions.

"The vehicle industry is still dominated by petrol heads who seem to question whether the quiet, clean, and efficient EVs are here to stay," she said.

Experts say the industry needs to adapt to the tsunami of change coming with EVs, and dealerships that do not adapt will be left behind.

The EV sales rate doubles yearly, from 3.5 per cent in 2022 to 7 per cent in 2023. When combined with Hybrids, the rate is already 15 percent.

Sales manager at Volvo Cars Launceston, Mike Dean, said they sold more EVs last year than petrol cars.

"Now Volvo Australia commits to only selling electric vehicles by 2026," he said.

Volvo Launceston currently has two models, the C40 and the XC40, that are fully electric, and they are about to launch the EX30.

"We've never had more pre-orders for an unlaunched vehicle than EX30, and so there's huge demand for that car," Mr Dean said.

The latest EVs are known to be quieter, smoother, faster, require less servicing than petrol cars and are more convenient.

"It will do nought to 100 in three and a half seconds. And it's quieter than a Rolls Royce.

"It's faster than a Porsche. And it has all the latest tech, and when you wake up, the thing's full of fuel," Mr Dean said.

However, he said that the infrastructure in Tasmania isn't at a stage where EVs will suit everybody.

"Primarily, it won't suit people for whom it's their only vehicle, and they are reliant on charging, which, whilst it broadly covers most of the state, can often be relatively slow charges, infrequent charges, charges that may not be in use, and you just don't have the confidence to be able to go anywhere, anytime," he said.

Mr Dean said "that when there are three or four times the number of charges and speedier chargers, people will be more confident about replacing their sole vehicle with an EV."

Independent EV expert John Harris said, "We know that petrol and diesel pollute, cause cancer and damage people's genetics, but nobody wants to talk about it.

"The only people I know who still want to drive petrol cars are those who own beautiful classic cars," he said.

Mr Harris said it is encouraging that the state and federal governments are finally becoming more progressive in their policies toward EVs.

Christopher Walkden, the secretary of the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA), said, "In recent years, the state government in Tasmania put some money in, and we've got a charging network, which you could call comprehensive, but thin.

So we must flesh out the network as we get more electric vehicles into the state," Mr Walkden said.

The Tasmanian branch of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) is running "Know Your EV" workshops for people who are thinking about buying an EV or have recently bought one.

The next workshop will be held in Devonport on April 20th, and more information can be found on AEVA's website.