Road transport generates around 12% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Most of these emissions come from the fossil fuels burned to power vehicles.
Low and zero emission vehicles – such as hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs) – have the potential to minimise road travel’s environmental impacts as well as improving air and noise pollution.
Why are some countries dragging their wheels on EV adoption?
Our Transurban Insights: Electric Vehicles reports digs into this issue.
Supporting the switch to EVs
We know that electric vehicles are crucial in tackling greenhouse gas emissions. We’re not alone: our research found many Australians are keen to make the switch. We found just over 40% of people in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland say they’d their next car to be an EV, motivated by both the environmental benefits, and because they cost less to run and require less maintenance.
- EV ownership research
Our 2024, Transurban Insights: Electric Vehicles research report looks at the state of EV ownership in the cities and regions where we operate. It shows EV ownership is starting to take off in Australia – with the percentage of EVs bought in this country doubling last year (up from 3.8% in 2022 to 8.1% in 2023). But we still have a way to go before EVs are the norm, and our research looked at what’s stopping people from making the switch.
- EV Experience
Being an early adopter can be daunting. So we gave select Victorian customers an EV – a Nissan LEAF – to try for up to 10 days. Participants had the chance to really test the car’s performance and understand how this technology would fit into their home, workplace and lifestyle.
Our test-drivers captured their experiences on video, letting us know what they liked about driving an EV, things that surprised them, and things that might make it easier for them to make the switch permanently. See EV Experience participants’ stories.
- Transurban EV Drive Day for fleet managers
Recognising fleet managers’ significant buying power and impact on the second-hand vehicle market each year, we hosted our first ever Transurban EV Drive Day in 2023. On the day, around 50 fleet managers took different EVs out for a spin and heard from industry experts and peers who already have EVs in their fleets.
The Transurban EV Drive Day was presented in partnership with Origin and the Australasian Fleet Management Association.
- Parliamentary Friends of Electric Vehicles and Future Fuels Transport Group support
The Parliamentary Friends of Electric Vehicles and Future Fuels Transport Group comprises more than 30 Federal MPs from across the political spectrum. Transurban co-sponsors (including with the Electric Vehicle Council and Origin Energy) group events, bringing shared expertise and advocacy together to support the transition to EVs.
- EVs travel free in Montreal
EV and plug-in hybrid drivers using our A25 Bridge in Montreal can use the bridge toll-free. This Quebec Ministry of Transport pilot program has been extended until 1 January 2024. Drivers must enrol to access this benefit. Find out more about the program.
- EV incentives to promote vaccinations
During the pandemic, we played our part to support Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine roll out by rewarding fully vaccinated Linkt customers with the opportunity to win over $160,000 worth of prizes, including two new Hyundai Kona Elite EVs.
Over 400,000 people entered the competition, and two lucky customers in Sydney and Brisbane are now enjoying their new EVs.
- Portable EV chargers
In a first for any incident response crew in Australia, an EV charger has been added to the CityLink incident response fleet in Melbourne.
Just like petrol cars, electric cars rarely run out of juice on the road. But when EVs do go flat, the link between the EV’s electric motor and its wheels means moving them off the road can be tricky.
- EVs in Transurban’s fleet
Around 10% of our fleet is currently electric, including, in Queensland, five Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid EVs. These vehicles are used by our Queensland Asset and Project Delivery Teams for routine maintenance and corridor and site inspections. As more speciality EVs become available, we will look to include them in our fleet.
- EV incident response vehicle
Incident response vehicles on our roads travel up to 150 kilometres per day and have their engines running for long stretches. So, together with our operations partner, Ventia, we have deployed a new fully-electric incident response vehicle – the first of its kind in Australia. Compared to a diesel vehicle, our vehicle is expected to save around 50 tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per year.
And in Queensland, keep your eye out for Australia’s first and only 100% electric cone truck. Our traffic management contractor, Schramm Group, uses ‘Kermit’ the EV truck to drop cones on the road, so we can keep traffic moving safely around work zones during planned maintenance periods.
Trialling new vehicle technology
We’ve trialled all kinds of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) on our motorways – both to investigate this new technology and to identify issues and opportunities specific to our road infrastructure.
So far we’ve tested: a highly automated truck; partially automated vehicles already on the road today; highly automated vehicles and remote operations; connected vehicle communications (platooning); and automation of vehicles for specific road operations/maintenance tasks.
Learn more about Connected and automated vehicle trials
