Victorian government allocates $1.5 million to businesses transitioning to EVs

The Victorian government has allocated $1.5 million to businesses transitioning to zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) for their business fleets, in an effort to support the uptake of electric vehicles and reduce emissions.

The Electric Vehicle Charging for Business Fleets program will give funds to applicants for things such as the installation of chargers for electric vehicles and the transition of its fleet to electric vehicles.

The allocation of the funding will depend on factors such as need, location, size, and commitment to an electric-vehicle transition as demonstrated by the business.

Victorian Minister for Public Transport, Roads and Road Safety Ben Carroll says with transport accounting for a quarter of the state’s carbon footprint, the grant will help the transition.

“This is not only another step towards achieving zero emissions, but it also creates jobs and provides a boost to the economy,” Carroll said.

Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio added that supporting businesses assists in the government’s goal to halve emissions by 2030.

“By getting more zero-emissions vehicles on our roads, we’re reducing transport’s massive contribution to climate change and cutting costs for businesses,” D’Ambrosio said.

The Victorian government named the program a ‘key part’ of its $19.21 million Acceleration of Zero Emissions Vehicles Adoption package and $100 million ZEV Roadmap.

According to the Electric Vehicle Council, the national body for the Australian electric vehicle industry, electric vehicles costing less than $50,000 have a range of 480 kilometres.

The body further argues Australia is behind other countries such as the US and Norway, calling on the government to implement more policies to support the uptake of electric vehicles.

The view that the government could do more was supported by research that came out last year, as previously reported in The Mandarin. There has been an increase in the number of electric vehicles purchased in Australia, and having charging infrastructure in place is a concern, particularly given the geographic size of Australia.

This article was first published by The Mandarin.