Queensland government take its first delivery of Hyundai Ioniq electric vehicle

An all-electric Hyundai Ioniq car has become the first to enter into service for the Queensland government’s QFleet, as the state takes another step towards a zero carbon future.

The electric vehicle joins the state’s 10,000 strong fleet that it plans to transition to EV to become carbon neutral by 2050.

The Queensland government announced that it will do this by doubling the numbers of EVs in its fleet at the AEVA conference in Brisbane last month, where The Driven also revealed that up to 16 Ioniq EVs had been ordered by the Queensland government.

“This vehicle is the first of what will eventually be an entirely electric fleet of cars for Queensland Government employees,” Minister for Housing and Public Works Mick de Brenni said in a statement.

“We’re on track to have at least 288 electric vehicles by 2022, this puts us on track to become carbon neutral by 2050.”

De Brenni took the Ioniq for a spin last week, confirming that it ticks all the boxes for a government fleet vehicle.

“I’ve taken the Ioniq for a spin and I can tell you it’s a great vehicle that has everything government employees need when they’re out and about,” he said. “It’s got sat nav, state of the art safety features and it even looks great on the road.

“This vehicle may be the champion of silent running, but the money it will save on fuel costs is certainly something to shout about,.”

QFleet says it will continue working with automakers to acquire early release models as they become available.

“The availability of these vehicles is expected to improve over the next 12 months and beyond,” said QFleet chief Oscar Liviero in a statement.

“We want to guide the whole of Queensland Government towards a cleaner, greener future through the adoption of a more environmentally sustainable fleet.

The Ioniq is the first vehicle with a purely electric powertrain to join QFleet, but it joins a number of plug-in hybrids already in the fleet, such as the Mitsubishi Outlander plug in hybrid.

To further encourage the uptake of EVs, the state of Queensland is also planning to bolster its Electric Super Highway by install charging infrastructure at government workplaces.