The NSW Government has announced a second round of “kick-start” funding offering businesses financial incentives to help purchase up to 15 electric vehicles (EVs) – from passenger vehicles up to 23-tonne GVM trucks – as well as smart charging ports.
Applications for financial year 2025-26 funding are now open and will close on May 29, 2026. The grants – from a $5 million allocation – are open to any ABN holder that operates an existing fleet in NSW, provided the business meets one of the following requirements:
> Operates an existing fleet of at least three vehicles (electric or non-electric) in NSW;
> Has licensed taxi drivers with at least one taxi in NSW; or
> Is an individual truck operator, with at least one truck in NSW.
Incentives range from $5,000 for a passenger vehicle up to $50,000 for heavy commercial vehicles from 15 tonne up to 23 tonne.
| Vehicle category | Vehicle incentive |
| Passenger vehicle / SUV (RRP equal or above $40k) | $5,000 |
| Light commercial vehicle under 2.5t | $5,000 |
| Light commercial vehicle from 2.5t and up to 3.5t | $8,000 |
| Heavy commercial vehicles above 3.5t and up to 4.5t | $10,000 |
| Heavy commercial vehicles above 4.5t and up to 8t | $15,000 |
| Heavy commercial vehicles above 8t and up to 15t | $25,000 |
| Heavy commercial vehicles above 15t and up to 23t | $50,000 |
Table 1A: Vehicle incentive amounts
Businesses applying for a vehicle incentive can also opt-in for a charging incentive to support the installation of one port. Charger incentives vary depending on the business’s charging strategy, including:
> DC Tier 1 incentives for DC chargers up to 60kW; and
> DC Tier 2 incentives for DC chargers above 60kW.
If your charging strategy is to install either AC or DC chargers at your site(s), these are the incentives available by vehicle category:
| Vehicle category | AC charging – incentive per port | DC up to 60kW – incentive per port | DC above 60kW – incentive per port |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passenger vehicle / SUV (RRP equal or above $40k) or light commercial vehicle up to 3.5t | Up to $3,000 per port | 50% of costs per port installed* (up to $30,000 per port) | NA |
| Heavy commercial vehicle above 3.5t and up to 4.5t | Up to $5,000 per port | 50% of costs per port installed* (up to $30,000 per port) | 50% of costs per port installed* (up to $60,000 per port) |
| Heavy commercial vehicle above 4.5t and up to 23t | Up to $6,000 per port | 50% of costs per port installed* (up to $30,000 per port) | 50% of costs per port installed* (up to $60,000 per port) |
Table 1B: Incentives available if the applicant installs either AC or DC chargers at the site
Applicants can claim funding for 50 per cent of the installation cost for each port installed. The maximum amount that can be claimed per port is specified in Tables 1B and 1C, based on the chosen charging strategy.
The cost per port installed is calculated by dividing the total eligible invoiced costs by the total number of ports installed at the site.
| Vehicle category | Charger mix | Incentive per port |
|---|---|---|
| All eligible categories | AC + DC Tier 1 | 50% of costs per port installed* (up to $18,000 per port) |
| Heavy commercial vehicles | AC + DC Tier 2AC + DC Tier 1 + DC Tier 2 | 50% of costs per port installed* (up to $30,000 per port) |
Table 1C: Incentives available if the applicant installs a mix of AC and DC chargers at the site
The table below includes the caps applicable by incentive type. The total number of charging incentives across both AC and DC categories is capped at 15.
Organisations that have previously received funding through the EV fleets incentive are still eligible to apply for kick-start funding – provided they have not yet reached the cap of 15 vehicles and chargers in total.
| Incentive type | Max # of incentives (across all funding rounds) |
|---|---|
| Vehicle incentive | 15 |
| AC charging incentive (all vehicle categories) | 15 |
| DC Tier 1 – PVs/SUVs/LCVs | 4 |
| DC Tier 1 – heavy commercial vehicles | 6 |
| DC Tier 2 – heavy commercial vehicles | 4 |
Table 1D: Maximum number of incentives that an organisation can apply for
For more information – including full application guidelines – click here.