The shift to decarbonise the transport sector is ramping up with a mix of new technologies for electric charging and government policies boosting their net zero transition policies. 

For instance in Queensland Brisbane Metro buses can now charge in six minutes, via a wireless overhead charging system known as a pantograph. There’s nitrogen flash battery fire suppression systems emerging from Chinese technology and bi directional charging moving from concept to reality. 

In Barcelona even the braking systems on high speed trains are generating energy for train stations as well as surrounding areas. 

In Australia, state and territory government policies are encouraging the shift to low carbon transport across the country. 

The National Transport Commission’s assessment of electric buses in Australia indicates that New South Wales is in the lead, with the state’s goal to electrify its entire fleet of over 8000 buses by 2047. 

Victorian and the Queensland governments will start to replace their ageing diesel buses with zero emission buses from 2025. 

The federal government’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water released its first National Electric Vehicle Strategy this year to support state government uptake. However, industry groups said the strategy lacked direction and support for heavy vehicles compared to passenger vehicles. 

One significant barrier is that EV buses cost about twice that of diesel buses, the NTC report says, but notes that payback can come from operational savings on fuel. 

Another option to defray the big investments required for EV transition are partnership models, where bus operators can partner with electricity organisations “to help manage the increasing loads on the energy grid and potentially allow operators to upload excess energy during the day (solar power) to the grid.” 

And there is also the option to lease buses. 

Electric trucks and buses as a service 

Companies such as Zenob?, a fleet electrification specialist, are working with supermarket giant Woolworths to develop Australia’s “first electric vehicle as a service (EVaaS) charging hub model” according to the company’s Australia New Zealand country director Gareth Ridge. The $19 million charging hub will service 60 EV grocery home delivery trucks that Woolworths will lease from Zenobe. 

Elsewhere Team Global Express (previously Toll) is trialling 60 EV trucks at its Bungarribee facility, with equal funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s Driving The Nation Fund, which in 2022 was doubled to $500 million to support the nation’s shift of transport to EVs. The program includes: 

  • $39.3 million to deliver 117 EV chargers on key highways 
  • $80 million (co-invested with state and territory government) to fund hydrogen refuelling networks on key freight routes 
  • $60 million to support EV charging infrastructure at automotive dealerships and workshops 
  • $70.7 million on projects to reduce Australia’s road transport emissions 

ARENA has also announced a further $100 million in funding with $29.6 million to freight company Linfox and $9 million to Toll to help them decarbonise their truck fleets.