Zero-emission trucks would be the fastest and most efficient way to combat pollution, a new study has found.
The conversation surrounding decarbonising transport has commonly featured the electrification of light vehicles, such as everyday passenger cars.
However, Adiona Tech CEO, Richard Savoie said that electric vehicle industries are calling on the Federal Government to introduce a strategy to increase the use of zero-emission trucks.
This comes after medium and heavy vehicles were minimally represented in the national electric vehicle strategy released last month.
“I think seeing it laid out in the federal data gives someone pause when assessing the sheer scope of the difference between passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles,” Mr Savoie said.
“Ideally, we would start by electrifying the least fuel-efficient vehicles, which spend the most time on the roads.”
Source: Australia Bureau of Statistics
Whilst the focus of EV uptake is on households purchasing a personal electric vehicle, Mr Savoie said an emphasis must be made on the truck industry, as trucks produce 50 times more CO2 than passenger cars annually.
Source: National EV Strategy
Australian Trucking Association future transport manager, Samuel Marks said there was a mix of demand and supply issues holding back zero-emission truck uptake in Australia.
“This supply problem is due to Australia’s lack of fuel efficiency standards, which has meant automakers are sending their EVs to other markets,” Mr Marks said.
“On top of this, regulations around truck width and axle mass have made it challenging to bring some models into Australia.”
Mr Marks also explained that the high up-front costs limit Australia’s electric truck uptake, with some EVs cost 2-3 times more than a diesel truck.
“Many companies don’t have the spare cash to cover the initial expenditure,” he said.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that there has been a steady increase of 1.7 per cent over the last year of vehicles on the road. Of that increase, only 33 vehicles were electric trucks/heavy vehicles.
Source: Australia Bureau of Statistics
Source: Australias truck emissions
CREDIT: Cole Lynch
