Australia’s transition to electric freight is gearing up, with the CEFC committing $6 million to deploy 60 battery electric trucks (BETs) for Woolworths deliveries in NSW and Victoria.
The investment backs a $19 million collaboration between Zenobē and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to scale BET deployment and establish Australia’s first off-site, multi-user BET charging hub in Mascot, Sydney.
Zenobē, a UK-headquartered EV fleet specialist, will lease the trucks and deliver associated infrastructure through its ‘Electric Vehicle as a Service’ (EVaaS) model, absorbing upfront costs and operational complexity.
Around 20 trucks will be based at the Mascot depot, with the remainder distributed across Woolworths delivery routes in both states.
“This support from the CEFC enables us to deliver electric trucks and charging infrastructure for Australia’s largest supermarket retailer,” said Gareth Ridge, Zenobē’s Country Director of Electric Vehicle Fleets.
“Our work with the CEFC shows that electrifying the truck sector is not a distant ambition. It’s achievable today.”
The CEFC’s involvement is designed to address common electrification barriers in the heavy vehicle sector – high capital costs, charging infrastructure shortfalls, and integration challenges with logistics operations and the power grid.
“Electrifying Australia’s heavy vehicle fleet is crucial for achieving national emissions reduction targets,” said CEFC Head of Infrastructure Julia Hinwood.
“This CEFC investment will support infrastructure development for the BET industry that supports Zenobē leasing fixed price BETs, an innovative model that can be adopted by the broader freight and logistics sector.”
Transport contributes around 22.3 per cent of Australia’s emissions and is its fastest growing source. BETs remain a small fraction of total truck sales, and uptake has been slow without targeted investment and infrastructure support.
Woolworths Group has committed to transitioning its home delivery fleet to EVs by 2030.
“We are excited to partner with Zenobē to deploy a further 60 BETs and launch this first-of-its-kind charging hub in Australia,” said Henri Le Comte, Woolworths Group Head of Partnerships, HomeRun.
“Working with Zenobē has allowed us to scale our EV fleet quickly.”
The CEFC says it has now financed more than 14,000 EVs and invested over $190 million in transport decarbonisation, including backing electrified fleets for Team Global Express and Zenobē’s earlier bus projects.