Are electric vehicles Australia’s opportunity of a lifetime?

On June 8, 2000, Australia got a glimpse of a possible future for its automotive industry.

It looked familiar enough – like a sleek remake of the best-selling Holden Commodore – as it drove towards Uluru, trailing the Olympic Torch Relay.

But inside the iconic frame was something new to these shores: a hybrid powertrain, combining a four-cylinder engine with a 50kW electric motor.