The Victorian government will ramp up the use of electric and other zero emissions vehicles in its vehicle fleet, announcing a new budget commitment for the purchase of 400 new vehicles over the next two years.
It said its forthcoming state budget will include an allocation of $15 million to fund the purchase of the new zero emissions vehicles and the installation of new charging infrastructure to support the rollout across government buildings.
The purchase of the new vehicles will occur in two stages, with 75 zero emissions vehicles to be purchased before the end of June this year, with a further 325 vehicles added to the government fleet in the following financial year.
The new commitment is in addition to more than 100 zero emissions vehicles already under order by the state government.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Victorian government said that its initial preference would be for the purchase of sports utility zero emissions vehicles, as a replacement for its existing passenger vehicle fleet.
The purchase will be covered by the government’s motor vehicle state purchase contract, suggesting it could include the purchase of passenger vehicles, light and heavy commercial vehicles and the possibility of zero emissions vehicles for use as police vehicles.
Last year, the Queensland state government revealed that it had added one of its recently acquired hydrogen fuelled vehicles to its police fleet, and UK police are already trialling the use of a Tesla Model 3.
Victorian assistant treasurer Danny Pearson said the additional budget commitment to grow the state government’s electric vehicle fleet would allow it to accelerate its phase out of ICE models.
“Electric and zero-emissions vehicles are the future of transport and we’re paving the way with the first ZEVs entering the Victorian government fleet,” Pearson said.
“These vehicles are part of our transition away from combustion powered vehicles to zero-emission vehicles and a clean energy future that’s better for health and our environment.”
Energy and climate minister Lily D’Ambrosio added that the increased adoption of electric vehicles would help Victoria cut its greenhouse gas emissions. The transport sector currently accounts for around one-quarter of Victoria’s greenhouse emissions footprint.
“We are transforming our energy system through an historic investment in renewable energy to meet our ambitious target of halving emissions by 2030, and electric vehicles have a critical role to play in meeting that commitment,” D’Ambrosio added.
The Victorian government has previously committed to transitioning its public transport bus fleet to all electric models, with all new purchases from 2025 to be exclusively electric buses.
