Volvo electric trucks greenlit for use in Vic

In what represents a major stride forward for the path of battery-electric trucks in Australia, the Victorian Government has announced a Low/Zero-Emissions Heavy Vehicle (LZEHV) access map for the southern state, which will initially allow Volvo heavy-duty electric trucks to operate in the southern state with a 7.5-tonne steer-axle concession.

Announced by Victorian Minister for Ports and Freight, Melissa Horne, at the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning’s Freight Decarbonisation Summit yesterday (October 26), the move essentially sees Victoria as the first state to institute a permanent low/zero-emissions road network, leapfrogging the trials recently announced for New South Wales, South Australia, and Queensland.

The plan will see Volvo’s electric trucks run permit-free on Victorian roads, despite the heavier axle limit necessitated by their heavy battery packs, although what exact roads the trucks will be allowed to traverse remains unclear at this early stage.

Until recently, the 2.55m width and heavier front axle for European battery-electric trucks remained major hurdles for their introduction to Australia. Now, however, and after significant lobbying from the truck manufacturers and industry groups, it seems the regulatory framework is catching up.

“Achieving substantial reductions in transport sector emissions means we need to rapidly reduce our petroleum-fueled vehicle fleet and shift freight to rail while we transition to zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) powered by clean energy,” said Ms Horne at the summit.

“Today’s summit shows Victoria is forging a path to drive energy transition in the freight sector, accelerate the uptake of ZEVs and encourage mode shift across our transport network as we zero in on decarbonization.”

The Victorian Government has set interim emissions reduction targets of 50 per cent against 2005 levels by 2030 and a 75 to 80 per cent reduction by 2035.

The Freight Decarbonisation Summit sought to connect Government with industry and operators to identify roadblocks to decarbonisation and highlight fast-track solutions. As a result, the Victorian Labor Government says it will work with industry “to co-design policies, regulations, infrastructure and technology to accelerate next-generation sustainable mobility and meet climate targets”.

Volvo Trucks Australia says that, as a brand that offers a full range of battery-electric models, it has been “leading calls for weight concessions for zero-emissions heavy vehicles”.

“We’ve been very clear that without legislative changes such as these, we won’t as an industry meet the emissions targets that we are all working towards,” says Martin Merrick, President and CEO of Volvo Group Australia.

“I applaud the commitment shown by the Victorian Government by taking these steps. We’ve made our commitment to both industry and society that we will be at the forefront of zero-emissions transport, and I’m heartened to see government taking steps along this journey as well.”