Hyperdrive

Gas-Guzzling SUVs Become Election Battleground in Australia

  • Elon Musk drawn in as Australia’s leaders clash over EV future
  • Investor warns nation may risk missing out on new jobs, growth
Vehicles drive along in Sydney, Australia.Photographer: Dallas Kilponen/Bloomberg
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Faced with an uphill battle to retain power in next month’s elections, Australia’s prime minister has found a new rallying cry: a pledge to protect drivers of gas-guzzling SUVs from a global push to switch to battery-powered electric vehicles.

It’s already set Scott Morrison at odds with a global investor group, a vocal technology billionaire and Tesla Inc.’s Elon Musk.