CEFC injects AUD 22 million to help deploy Australia's largest electric truck fleet

en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has committed up to AUD 22 million (approximately USD 15.1 million) to support the large-scale deployment of battery electric trucks (BETs) by Zenobe Australia, a UK-based electric vehicle fleet specialist.

Zenobe plans to deploy up to 148 T5 battery electric trucks manufactured by China's Foton through leasing agreements (including vehicle maintenance, warranty, and upgrades), in partnership with Australian supermarket chain Woolworths. This will become the largest electric truck fleet in the country to date.

The T5 model is equipped with 81 to 84 kWh batteries from CATL, supporting 7.2 hours of overnight AC charging and 1.5 hours of DC fast charging. The single motor delivers 115 kW of power and 300 Nm of torque, operating quietly with zero emissions.

Woolworths' "last-mile delivery" fleet will serve New South Wales (NSW), Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia (WA), and South Australia (SA). The first vehicles were delivered in May 2026, with the remaining units to be delivered throughout 2026.

Gareth Ridge, Director of Zenobe Australia and New Zealand, stated that the project proves electrification is a commercial opportunity. "Woolworths is deploying hundreds of electric trucks at scale, which is almost unprecedented in Australian freight, proving that with the right business model and Zenobē's competitive pricing, electrification is now viable," said Ridge. "Working with Woolworths and the CEFC, we are demonstrating that zero-emission logistics at scale is no longer a pilot project—it is commercially viable and operationally proven."

Julia Hinwood, CEFC Head of Infrastructure, said that by increasing the adoption rate of battery electric trucks, the CEFC is helping the market develop and move closer to price parity with non-electric trucks. "This investment reflects the commercial viability of battery electric trucks and enables Zenobē to set competitive rental rates, incentivizing customers to lease battery electric trucks," said Hinwood. "Supporting deployment in hard-to-abate sectors like freight helps normalize new technologies and attract broader private investment. Early large-scale deployment is critical for generating real-world performance data and operational benchmarks, which underpin the secondary market for electric heavy vehicles."

As of 2026, only 0.9% of the 12,003 trucks and heavy commercial vehicles sold in Australia were electric models.