The Minns NSW State Labor Government has made some significant announcements that it says will making the shift to electric vehicles easier for drivers and transport operators.
While most of the new plan announced by the NSW Government is targeted at cars and light commercials with a large scale commitment to install more public chargers across the state particular in charging black spots and under serviced city areas, it did also boast a significant new incentive program for electric trucks, particularly the medium duty sector adding tot he incentives it has already been offering light duty operators
by rolling out more public chargers, backing more electric trucks and training the workforce needed to keep them on the road.
The Government’s updated 2026 NSW Electric Vehicle Strategy has copped some criticism from the state opposition for being rehash but for truck operators in the medium duty sector there will be new incentives along with a plan which the government says has been released to “help reduce emissions and make EVs and their cost-of-living benefits accessible to more people, with a focus on closing charging gaps in regional, remote and suburban areas”.
The government also announced $40 million towards the expansion of the existing EV fleets incentive, which provides grants for businesses to invest in battery-operated electric cars.
For the first time, the grants will include heavy vehicles. Sales of electric trucks were only one per cent of new sales in 2024, with more than a quarter of heavy vehicles in NSW are more than 20 years old.
EV Council chief executive Julie Delvecchio said expanding fleet incentives to trucks was “one of the smartest moves in this strategy”.
“It’s one of the fastest ways to cut operating costs for businesses while making our streets cleaner and quieter,” she said.
“Filling regional charging gaps, expanding support for heavy vehicle fleets, and investing in workforce training are practical steps that will get more Australians into EVs sooner.”
The latest fuel crisis as a result of the Iran conflict has clearly had a major effect in the past month with global fuel prices under pressure and ongoing uncertainty in international markets, so the Minns administration has said that accelerating EV uptake has never been more important.
The Government claims that switching to an EV car can cut fuel costs by up to $3,000 a year, or eliminate them entirely when paired with home solar, while reducing maintenance costs by around 40 per cent.
It also revealed that in NSW, there is growing interest in EV uptake with sales making up 15.6 per cent of new car sales at the moment.
The 2026 NSW Electric Vehicle Strategy is being backed by $100 million in funding, which it says sharpens the focus on five priority areas including expanding the EV Fleets Incentive Program from small to medium-size trucks, which it says will allow organisations to electrify their delivery and service fleets.
NSW Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Penny Sharpe said that these updates will help build a world-class charging network, and support electric trucks as well as growing the skilled workforce needed to maintain EVs.
EV Council CEO Julie Delvecchio said:NSW is pushing on the right barriers to unlock EV uptake and help people access cost of living savings that come from making the switch. Filling regional charging gaps, expanding support for heavy vehicle fleets, and investing in workforce training are practical steps that will get more Australians into EVs sooner.
“Expanding fleet incentives to trucks is one of the smartest moves in this strategy – it’s one of the fastest ways to cut operating costs for businesses while making our streets cleaner and quieter for everyone,” Delvecchio said.
Transport is the state’s second-largest source of emission, and the largest part of that comes from road transport. As the amount of renewable energy sources increases, the government predicts transport will be the largest source of emissions by 2029-30.
As far as Truck and Bus News can tell the current incentives for light commercial vehicles from 2.5 tonne and up to 3.5 tonne is currently up to $8,000, while incentives for trucks from above 3.5tonne and up to 4.5 tonne amounts to $10,000 per truck. The new incentives include trucks above eight tonne and up to 15 tonne which are eligible for up to $25,000, while medium duty trucks above 15 tonne and up to 23 tonne scale up to $50,000.
Under the scheme the government also has a range of incentives for a variety of charging ports installed in a truck operators depot, and information can be found on the various EV truck incentives can be found on the Government’s web page regarding the EV Incentive Kick Start program at https://www.energy.nsw.gov.au/business-and-industry/programs-grants-and-schemes/electric-vehicles/electric-vehicle-fleets/kick-start-funding
