Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has launched a fleet of 43 electric trucks on Sydney roads as part of the Government’s Driving the Nation program.
These trucks are the first of 60 purchased by Team Global Express as part of the $44.3 million Depot of the Future project including 36 Volvo FL Electric trucks and 24 Daimler Fuso eCanters.
Albanese said, “We already have thousands of electric buses and electric cars on the road. This Australian-first project will help modernise our truck fleet, cut down on emissions, save fuel costs and reduce air pollution.”
The launch of the trucks included minister Chris Bowen, the chief executive of Team Global Express, Christine Holgate, and the global chief executive of Volvo, Martin Lundstedt.
“We pride ourselves on working with companies like Team Global Express and Volvo to seize the opportunities that come with embracing electric heavy vehicles,” said Albanese.
The Federal Government has contributed $20.1 million through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), to get this great project on the road.
Transport already accounts for one-fifth of Australia’s emissions, and trucks and buses are responsible for a quarter of these transport emissions.
The switch to electric trucks will help in decarbonising the transport sector, as more epopel choice to buy supplies online, dirving growth in parcel delivery.
This project is replacing a third of Team Global Express’s fleet in Western Sydney with electric vehicles which are cleaner and cheaper to run – and will reduce air pollution and noise.
“These trucks won’t just be the cleanest and quietest delivery trucks on Sydney’s streets – they’ll be the cheapest to run, including maintenance, a huge expense for any logistics business,” said Bowen.
Team Global Express has also upgraded its Bungarribee depot to incorporate advanced EV charging infrastructure powered by a 1 MW battery storage system that uses 400 kW of energy from onsite solar panels.
Through this project, existing delivery drivers have been able to upskill – receiving training to use the electric trucks.
The $20.1 million ARENA grant is part of the government’s Driving the Nation fund, which we the Federal government has invested $130 million in EV fleets, designed to invest in cheaper and cleaner transport, which is also helping build a nationwide EV fast-charging network to link Australia’s cities and regions.