Shorten softens language on electric cars

Bill Shorten concedes Labor's ambitious electric car targets may never be achieved.

The federal opposition wants half of all new cars sold in Australia by 2030 to be electric.

"That doesn't mean that will happen," Mr Shorten told Nova Radio in Perth on Tuesday.

He has ruled out reducing import taxes on electric cars or providing incentives for household charging stations.

Instead, Labor's plan hinges on paying for more public battery charging stations and imposing buying controls on government fleets.

"The good news is under Labor policies you can do what you like," Mr Shorten said.

"We're happy for you to keep buying the cars you have, we just want to extend the range and the choice."