HVIA recently appeared before the NSW parliamentary inquiry into infrastructure for electric and alternative energy source vehicles.
The committee discussed the costs of upgrading Australia’s roads, the skills and training required to service the low- and zero-emissions heavy vehicle (LZEHV) sector, and the role of hydrogen and low-carbon liquid fuels in decarbonising road freight.
HVIA Chief Advocacy Officer Dr Adele Lausberg appeared before the committee and commented on surety of access for heavier battery electric trucks to make long-term investments.
“We have a very heavy regulatory environment in which each state has a different trial for a different weight,” she told the inquiry.
“Industry needs certainty to make those investments in the vehicles – because operators aren’t going to want to purchase heavier vehicles unless they have that certainty that it can continue.”
The committee was particularly interested in the development of a workforce to service and maintain battery electric and hydrogen vehicles, seeking further information on this from witnesses.
“We are still facing the issue of how we get consistency across the country. We’re seeing states take different approaches to the training … and it’s still a nascent part of the transition that is needing some development,” she added.
Lausberg closed her comments by indicating that a wide-ranging incentives program is required to accelerate progress, and that this is what has worked overseas to increase sales of LZEHVs.
“[There is] the importance of an incentive package. It’s something that we’ve seen in California. We are seeing it in Europe. Any state that moved in that respect would help kickstart the transition for heavier vehicles,” she says.
If you would like to know more about HVIA’s work in the decarbonisation space, reach out to Dr Adele Lausberg at a.lausberg@hvia.asn.au.
For further information on skills, training and workforce development, reach out to HVIA National Manager – Skills, Training and Workforce Development, Michael Rose at m.rose@hvia.asn.au.
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