Team Global Express acquires fleet of 60 electric trucks

Team Global Express, formerly Toll Group, has been selected by Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to receive $20.1 million in funding to build Australia’s largest fleet of heavy Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). Team Global express will invest a further $24.2 million to facilitate this trial, which will see 60 electric trucks deployed and a depot charging infrastructure developed at their Bungarribee depot in Western Sydney over the next two years.

“Electric trucks are a very, very important part of Australia’s future,” said Federal Energy Minister Chris Bowen. “We are way behind the rest of the world, way behind the game when it comes to electric vehicles. We have made good progress in our first six months in office but we have much, much more to do.”

ARENA announced its investment on Tuesday as part of a $44.3m project to create a “Depot of the Future” for Team Global Express. The project will see approximately nearly one third of its Western Sydney fleet transitioned to electric trucks and operate under a ‘back-to-base’ model with travel from distribution centres to customers in urban areas in the proximity of the Bungarribee depot.

The project will bring in 24 light rigid electric trucks from Daimler and 36 medium rigid Volvo electric trucks to create the largest electric logistics fleet in the country. The Daimler Fuso eCanter has a capacity of up to three and a half tons. The Volvo FL Electric trucks will be fitted with 10-pallet van bodies with a payload of 5,500kg. These are set to arrive in the country in the new year.

This project looks to reduce emissions from heavy vehicles and provide valuable data as Australia looks to shift toward BEVs. In Australia, heavy vehicle transport accounts for 22 per cent of all transport emissions. According to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, and Regional Development, heavy vehicles account for a disproportionate share of noxious road vehicle emissions. They constitute approximately four per cent of road vehicles in Australia, but perform about eight per cent of road vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT) and account for 23 per cent of all road transport fuel consumed in Australia.

“We’re excited to be working with Global Express in switching a significant portion of its fleet to electric vehicles at its Bungarribee depot,” said ARENA CEO Darren Miller. “We expect the project will provide valuable insights into the costs and operational aspects of transitioning its wider fleet to zero emissions vehicles. Importantly, our goal is for the heavy vehicle industry to learn from this project as others consider their transition pathway,” continued Miller.

“Operating a fleet of battery electric heavy vehicles will help to address some of the key barriers to adoption, including overcoming the higher upfront purchase price, and uncertainty of integrating electric vehicles into existing operations at scale. Understanding these barriers will help to build market confidence around EV technology and show that the transition to heavy electric vehicles is possible.”

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