NSW to allow additional weight to pave way for electric trucks and end archaic road rules

The New South Wales government announced a two-year trial that will provide access to the state’s road network for zero emission trucks weighing more than their internal combustion engine counterparts due to the extra weight of their batteries.

Australia’s regulations for freight transport vehicles have been a source of frustration for advocates of electrification and manufacturers of electric heavy vehicles, particularly as they apply to the weight over certain axles, even if the overall weight is little different.

Last week, the federal government announced that it will allow wider trucks on Australian roads, bringing the country in line with overseas markets. This decision was heralded as a major win for the electric vehicle market, removing one of the key barriers to the uptake of heavy-duty electric trucks in Australia.

However, while allowing wider trucks was an important first step, the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) highlighted the need for federal and state governments to also modify restrictions on the weight of freight trucks.

At a recent trucking conference in Queensland, one trucking company had to get special permission just to drive its electric truck to the expo area.

See: Electric trucks: Australia’s archaic road rules weigh on”greatest ever transition”

NSW has now followed South Australia in allowing the change, albeit on a trial basis, and the EVC is hoping that other states will now follow to create a nationally consistent standard.

More great news to share for electric heavy vehicles, this time out of NSW who have released their Net Zero Emissions Freight Policy,” Jafari said. “It includes an important, hard fought for step of concessions on mass limits for heavy EVs on State roads.

“While all governments will work together on studying and determining mass limit changes, this process can take years and given everyone agrees this is a change that needs to happen, there’s no reason to wait.

“With a similar step taken in SA, we need other states and the Federal Government to follow step quickly so we can get more zero emissions trucks on our roads asap.”

The NSW trial will allow zero emission vehicles with up to 8 tonne on a single steer axle and up to 18.5 tonnes on the drive axle, where the overall gross vehicle mass (GVM) of the prime mover does not exceed 26 tonnes.

The trial is part of the larger Towards Net Zero Emissions Freight Policy published by the NSW government which is aimed at supporting the heavy road and rail freight industry transition to low and zero emission technologies.

A complementary knowledge hub has also been published to provide the freight industry a guide to current and available technologies as well as information about various NSW and Commonwealth Government grants available to road freight operators.