The Electric Vehicle Council released the findings on workplace vehicle charging on Thursday and called for major political parties to consider tax exemptions and funding to promote charger installations.
The research follows steady growth in electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid car sales in Australia, but also as the coalition promises to remove penalties designed to encourage brands to bring more into the country.
The study, called the EV Ownership Survey, was conducted by the University of Sydney and asked questions of 1506 electric vehicle drivers.
It found nine in 10 participants could charge their vehicle at home, and eight in 10 had rooftop solar installed to defray the cost.
But of the respondents with employment, fewer than one in three had access to a vehicle charger at their workplace, even though those who commuted to the office four to five days each week rated the technology as very important.
Introducing long-duration car chargers in workplaces could give employers a competitive edge, Electric Vehicle Council chief executive Julie Delvecchio said, while also making workers' commutes easier and cheaper.
"By providing a place to plug in while you work, employers can entice more staff with EVs to commute in," she said.
"For many of us, a significant amount of time is spent at work, making it a prime place to charge an EV."
Before the May 3 federal election, Ms Delvecchio said both Labor and the coalition should consider a fringe benefits tax exemption for EV equipment installed by businesses and financial incentives to encourage their uptake.
The study found businesses with chargers available for employees saw most charging occur on Mondays and Tuesdays, and for charging sessions to last less than four hours.
Melbourne real-estate worker Ridham Chandrani, who bought a Tesla Model 3 in late 2023, said his employer's decision to offer electric vehicle charging powered by solar influenced his decision to buy a vehicle.
"When we were talking about purchasing an EV, it definitely played a small role," he told AAP.
"Knowing that we were going to drive to work and there were chargers there made us feel a lot more comfortable."
Six chargers were available in the two buildings where he worked, Mr Chandrani said, and helped recharge his vehicle for the 120km round trip between Pakenham and Richmond.
Over 15 months, driving an electric car and charging it at work and home had saved him and his partner up to $6000 in fuel costs, he said, in addition to maintenance savings.
The Electric Vehicle Council estimates more than 300,000 battery-powered vehicles are on Australian roads even though sales have flattened in the past year, and made up 7.5 per cent of new vehicle sales during March.
Australia's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard that set emissions limits for new passenger and large vehicle fleets could also face changes in future, as the coalition pledged to remove penalties for car makers exceeding limits if it won government.
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