Witthaya Prasongsin/GettyIn 2019, China was a minor player in Australia’s car market. Seven years later, it’s now the biggest supplier of new vehicles overall – including about 80% of Australia’s electric vehicles (EVs). The shift to EVs has accelerated markedly this year amid oil price spikes.This is good news for Australia’s energy security and efforts to tackle climate change. But to get the most out of electric cars, vans and trucks from China, Australian authorities need better data on how they are designed. Better data will integrate growing EV numbers in ways that help the Australian economy, not just carmakers.Decades in the makingIt took sustained state investment and planning to turn China’s carmakers from minnows into giants, as part of wider investment in clean technology. China’s electric vehicle industry has become the global benchmark for mass‑produced affordable EVs and, increasingly, for trucks and buses.Australia’s car market is one of the most competitive in the world – and becoming even more so. For Australian buyers, China’s surging EV production translates to rapidly increasing numbers of competitively priced EVs from brands not even on the radar ten years ago. As a result, Australia’s EV transition is taking off. Battery electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid vehicles now make up close to half of new sales. Chinese-made hybrid tractors and electric heavy trucks for road freight and mines are now appearing.While new vehicles often resemble traditional combustion vehicles, they are far smarter than those that came before – and Australia needs to actively adapt. EVs look like traditional vehicles – but their differences must be planned for. slovegrove/Getty Why do we need better data on EVs?Planning for this shift is essential. But there’s a key problem – authorities often don’t have the data to inform their plans. When Australia had its own car industry, authorities kept detailed data on the vehicle fleet. But after the last factory fell quiet almost ten years ago, authorities stopped gathering as much data. The Australian Bureau of Statistics stopped its long-running Motor Vehicle Census in 2021. The best fleet snapshot we now have is the Road Vehicles Australia report from the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics. This is less detailed than the previous census, meaning we lack consistent data on where electric vehicles are and how they’re used. While industry data shows most of Australia’s EVs are built in China, Australia’s automotive peak body, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, only reports data on member vehicle sales. Tesla cars sold in Australia are made in China, but these sales are not recorded by the peak body as Tesla is not a member.The lack of data matters for four reasons. 1. Different design standards.Chinese vehicles are often designed to world-leading standards, which include tighter energy efficiency rules and stronger requirements for safety, battery recycling and circular use of materials. Top carmakers rely heavily on robots to increase manufacturing precision.If we want these new vehicles to deliver the best results, Australia needs to ensure regulators and planners are able to take full advantage of these improvements. For instance, the car repair and car recycling industries need detailed data about the types of batteries and other technologies used in EVs. Similarly, emergency services need to understand any potentially different risks when they respond to car accidents. While EVs catch fire much less often than combustion‑engine cars, battery fires behave differently to petrol fires and must be managed appropriately. 2. Consequences for planners.EVs aren’t like traditional vehicles. They’re very large batteries on wheels, with uses well beyond transport. Many new EVs can feed power back to the grid, meaning they could be a major future source of flexibility and balance in the power system – if authorities plan for it.Data is key. Authorities need to know not just how many EVs are on Australian roads, but their rough location, how they connect to the grid and whether their owners want to sell power back to the grid. 3. Moving faster.It would make sense to design power grids and charging networks to match the vehicles most likely to arrive. Doing so will let us shift to clean transport sooner and cut fuel costs for households and businesses, agriculture and miners. This will boost energy independence and reduce reliance on imported oil.4. Managing risks.Some commentators worry that Chinese EVs could pose a risk to national security. But the issue is broader, as all modern vehicles rely on software and data links. Concerns around data and privacy apply across the board. Better, independent data on which vehicles are in our fleet, what standards they use and how vehicle data and security systems operate would help authorities manage these risks sensibly. We don’t know what we don’t knowAustralia’s rapid shift to electric vehicles is a boon for the climate and welcome from a cost and energy security perspective.But making the most from this shift requires good planning — and good data. Bringing back the Motor Vehicle Census seems sensible, though it’s too late to include this in next month’s national census. Collecting this data will let planners see how the EV rollout is unfolding and how it intersects with income, housing, rooftop solar and areas of disadvantage. Without it, we risk pushing ahead without benefiting fully from these new technologies.Ray Wills is the managing director of consultancy Future Smart Strategies, which is involved in sustainability work. Peter Newman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.