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Climate change and zero emission vehicles

12 August 2022

The Australian Trucking Association:

  • supports and recommends the passage of the Climate Change Bill 2022 and the Climate Change (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022
  • endorses the 43 per cent emissions reduction target by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050
  • recommends that the Australian Government adopt the global memorandum of understanding on zero emission medium and heavy duty vehicles with the ambition of achieving a zero emission truck sales target of 30 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2040
  • recommends that the Australian Government implement a zero emission truck incentive plan, including a zero emission truck purchase price incentive, electric truck recharging infrastructure, green hydrogen truck refuelling infrastructure, and regulatory reform to incentivise the introduction of new zero emission truck models to Australia
  • recommends that the Australian Government expand the use of high productivity freight vehicles (HPFVs) on the National Land Transport Network and reduce the emissions intensity of road freight transport
  • recommends that the Australian Government mandate the stage C Euro VI emission standard and equivalent US/Japanese standards for new truck models from 1 January 2024 and all new trucks from 1 January 2025 and plan for mass and width amendments to offset the increased weight and complexity of Euro VI emission control systems.

Seeking to limit climate change is important for our long-term economic future.

The CSIRO reports that Australia’s changing climate represents a significant challenge to individuals, communities, governments, businesses, industry and the environment. The people of the trucking industry are part of the fabric of the Australian community – the impacts of more frequent and more extreme weather affect us all. Natural disasters and extreme weather impacts are also a significant direct impact on the trucking industry.

The earlier the transition to zero emission trucking accelerates, the smoother the change can be for businesses with more time to understand and then embed new vehicle technologies as well as adopting new ways of doing business. Enabling zero emission transport would also provide other economic sectors with the ability to meet sustainability goals and reduce their supply chain emissions.

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