Australia’s largest private logistics company, Linfox, is rolling out the first of 26 battery-powered prime movers to service food and beverage distribution and integrated rail transport across Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. The $50 million project has been supported by $19.63 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s (ARENA) Driving the Nation Program.
The project, which began in November 2024 and is expected to complete by mid-2030, will deploy 26 Volvo electric FM prime movers in partnership with Volvo Group Australia, as well as 25 chargers and enabling infrastructure at Linfox distribution centres in Laverton North, Adelaide Railhead, and Willawong. The battery electric vehicles (BEVs) will cut diesel use, emissions and running costs on some of the country’s busiest freight routes.
ARENA’s Driving the Nation Program aims to help industry build confidence in electric freight solutions and accelerate emissions reductions across Australia’s transport sector, and has previously supported Toll Group to deliver sustainable transport solutions for Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Woolworths, and Asahi. Earlier this year, ARENA also announced NewVolt will receive up to $25.3 million to deliver three open-access, fast‑charging hubs for heavy and medium electric trucks along major freight corridors in Melbourne’s west, south-east and northern suburbs.
The federal government funding to this project is targeted to help overcome barriers to the adoption of electric trucks at scale, such as financial, operational, business model, and market sentiment barriers. By demonstrating new technologies, application and business models, this grant from the Driving the Nation program will accelerate the uptake of BEVs.
Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, said the new electric truck fleet would help cut diesel bills, lower transport emissions and prove heavy haulage has a strong electric future.
“This investment in electric trucks, fast chargers and onsite solar systems could deliver the biggest cut to Linfox’s fuel use, emissions and running costs in its seven-decade history,” said Bowen.
“And while governments across Australia continue to secure Australia’s supply of diesel and exhaust fluid, Linfox has taken a huge step to secure its energy security and consistently low running costs – today and for decades to come.”
The federal government also announced a $70 million financing package in December through the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), working with Volvo Group to accelerate the electrification of the nation’s trucking fleet and support skilled jobs in Volvo’s truck manufacturing plant in Queensland.
