At an industry event in Melbourne yesterday, Freight Victoria reinforced its intentions to investigate Truck Low Emissions Zones (LEZ) and to develop an electric charging strategy for the state of Victoria.
Freight Victoria Acting Director of Policy and Strategy Melissa O’Brien outlined that both initiatives were originally flagged in the updated Victorian Freight Plan for 2025-30, which was released earlier in the year, but provided some more information on each.
The electric charging strategy is proposed to deliver a framework that considers options for recharging facilities, and to assess and identify possible locations, and will cater specifically for the needs of the freight task now and into the future.
The Low Emissions Zone (LEZ) initiative is proposed to identify and evaluate concepts for implementation and enforcement and build understanding of required legislative changes. HVIA understands that the LEZ proposal will focus solely on trucks, and not passenger vehicles.
Both initiatives have the potential to impact HVIA’s members in a range of ways, and HVIA Chief Technical Officer Adam Ritzinger advised Freight Victoria of the need to engage with industry early and often to ensure that both initiatives are carefully considered, and deliver the right outcomes for industry and society.
“Dedicated and accessible heavy vehicle charging facilities are urgently required all across Australia, and we look forward to working with Freight Victoria on this initiative and others into 2026,” Adam says.
Melissa also gave an update on its $8 million freight decarbonisation co-investment program, intended to help vehicle operators test and transition to the next-generation of low- and zero-emission equipment.
It is targeted at small-to-medium sized enterprises, which may not be able to readily access existing decarbonisation funding arrangements – and is intended to cover purchase and/or leasing of zero-emissions vehicles, installing supporting infrastructure, or trialling the use of renewable fuels.
For more information, please contact Adam Ritzinger at a.ritzinger@hvia.asn.au.