Australia’s transport sector received a funding boost of $36 million (US$24 million) from the federal government to support its transition to electric vehicles, bringing the total to $100 million.
In 2022, transportation produced 21 percent of Australia’s total emissions, and heavy vehicle emissions were the second-leading source of transport emissions, accounting for 24 percent.
“We’re working with trucking companies to make it easier to electrify their fleets, so their heavy vehicles are cleaner, quieter, more comfortable to drive, and cheaper to run,” Minister Bowen said.
Funding Electric Truck Fleet for Linfox and Toll
Under the Driving the Nation program, the ARENA has also committed $28.6 million to Australian transport companies Linfox and Toll.Linfox received $19.6 million to help roll out 26 electric trucks across three distribution centres and build supporting charging infrastructure at those sites. Toll also obtained $9 million to deploy 28 electric trucks and construct charging infrastructure at 10 sites.
Mark Mazurek, CEO of Linfox ANZ, said that Linfox is proud to partner with the federal government to grow its electric fleet and accelerate efforts to decarbonise Australia’s logistics and supply chain.
Alan Beacham, Toll Group managing director, said the project was one of Australia’s largest corporate investments in heavy electric vehicles.
“We’re delighted to be supporting our customers through a shared commitment to decarbonising their supply chains without needing to rely solely on carbon offsets,” he said.
“We’re excited at the prospect of expanding electrification across a larger portion of our fleet over time.”
ARENA CEO Darren Miller said that assisting Linfox and Toll in electrifying their heavy vehicle fleet is a significant milestone in ARENA’s goal to decarbonise transport.
“By transitioning to electric vehicles, not only are these companies able to reduce their carbon footprint, but it also sets a new standard for sustainability in freight,” he said.
Need for Electric Trucks
Miller said the heavy transport sector has an important role in reducing the environmental impact of moving goods.“The heavy vehicle market has matured significantly over the past year in relation to battery electric vehicles, particularly vehicle availability and infrastructure,” he said.
“However, there are still significant hurdles including upfront costs for operators, challenges with charging technology and infrastructure, as well as the lack of real-world data.”
The new Linfox truck fleet will be deployed to metropolitan and regional areas over three years to assess the performance of heavy electric vehicles over long distances and after multiple operating periods daily.
