The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced substantial funding to support the transition of heavy vehicles to electric power.
The Australian agency is making $100 million available under its “Driving the Nation” program, targeting three key focus areas:
- supporting demonstrations and deployments of electric trucks
- enabling the rollout of heavy vehicle charging infrastructure
- driving other innovations to boost the uptake of battery-electric commercial vehicles
This commitment by the Australian government to decarbonise road transport comes as UK operators face growing pressure to reduce their environmental impact. With transport accounting for a significant portion of the UK’s carbon emissions, electric vehicle adoption in the logistics and freight sectors has become a key priority.
The announcement from ARENA also includes details of two major projects the agency is backing - a $19.6 million grant to Australian company Linfox to deploy 26 electric trucks, and $9 million for Toll Group’s “Project TruckVolt” to roll out 28 battery-electric vehicles.
These real-world demonstrations could provide valuable insights for UK fleet operators as they weigh the technical and commercial feasibility of electrifying their own heavy vehicle fleets.
“The heavy vehicle market has matured significantly over the past year in relation to battery electric vehicles, particularly vehicle availability and infrastructure,” said ARENA CEO Darren Miller. “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 lessons learned from the Australian projects could help UK operators overcome similar barriers, as they look to take advantage of government incentives and policies driving the transition to zero-emission transport.
“Supporting both Linfox and Toll to electrify their heavy vehicle fleet is a significant milestone in our goal to decarbonise transport,” added Miller. “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.”
Project implementation
The Linfox project will establish charging infrastructure across three distribution centers in Queensland, South Australia, and Victoria. Toll’s initiative will develop infrastructure across 10 locations nationwide.
Mark Mazurek, Linfox CEO Australia and New Zealand, stated: “As an early adopter of electric vehicles, Linfox is proud to be partnering with the Federal Government to grow our electric fleet and accelerate efforts to decarbonise the logistics and supply chain in Australia.”
Toll Group Managing Director Alan Beacham noted: “The funding from ARENA supports an important part of our broader strategy to optimise the environmental sustainability of our operations, and 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.”
For additional information, ARENA will host an informational webinar on November 19, 2024.
