One company’s plans to electrify heavy-duty transport will accelerate and expand to more towns after a multimillion-dollar investment.
Twenty electric prime movers will hit Australian roads faster than expected after a first-of-its-kind project secured a $5 million boost.
New Energy Transport on Monday revealed it would deploy a heavy-duty electric truck fleet months earlier than planned following the investment, which would also fund mobile charging stations.
The units, initially based in a depot near the fringes of Sydney, could be moved in future to expand the fleets’ reach, potentially allowing them to service agricultural hubs in other NSW towns.
The announcement comes after diesel prices rose following conflict in the Middle East, pushing up transport costs, and as they are expected to rise again when the fuel excise discount ends on June 30.
The $5 million investment, backed by venture capital firm Jekara Group, will help the start-up put its heavy-duty electric truck fleet into operation later in 2026 rather than in mid-2027.
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Calls for low-emission transport options have spiked in recent months, New Energy Transport co-chief executive Daniel Bleakley said, and the equity boost would let the company meet them ahead of schedule.
”We’ve seen a surge in demand from some of Australia’s largest transport buyers and this backing means we can meet that demand by providing reliable electric road freight in Australia before the end of the year,” he said.
A NET electric truck. Image: Supplied
Sydney base
While the company is building a high-powered charging hub in Wilton, south-west of Sydney, the investment would fund an additional six ultra-fast charging units that could be placed along freight corridors and connected quickly.
”The modular and mobile charging units we’ve selected aren’t fixed to the ground – they sit on a frame, plug into the grid and are ready for commercial operation within weeks,” Mr Bleakley said.
”This technological solution means the charging units can be redeployed to new locations in the future to enable (the company) to service new corridors, including into regional and rural Australia.”
The mobile charging units could extend the trucks’ range to service agricultural food bowls in Yass, Wagga Wagga and Griffith, he said.
The company also plans to build fixed-charging depots to extend the electric prime movers’ reach to Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane by 2031.
Charging infrastructure had become the main bottleneck for low-emissions freight but more companies were motivated to address it, New Energy Transport co-chief executive Fredrik Pehrsson said.
Electric heavy vehicles were named as a priority by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency in 2025, although the Electric Vehicle Council recently called for policy changes to boost their adoption.
AAP
