Decarbonising the transport sector will assist with Queensland’s shift towards zero net emissions by 2050.

Queensland is leading the nation in encouraging the broader uptake of EVs, with the number of all-electric vehicles registered in the state more than tripling since the release of the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan in September 2022.

Decarbonising the transport sector will assist with Queensland’s shift towards zero net emissions by 2050.

EV developments

As at 30 June 2024, 46,200 EVs were registered in Queensland—up 33,272 on September 2022.

Since the first Queensland Electric Super Highway (QESH) site opened in 2017, there have been more than 201,000 charging sessions (as of 30 April 2024).

The charging sessions have powered more than 21 million kilometres, avoiding up to 5,600 tonnes of CO² lifecycle emissions from petrol and diesel cars. This is the equivalent of taking about 1,800 petrol-powered vehicles off the road.

Queensland’s Zero Emissions Vehicle Strategy includes the following targets:

• 50% of new passenger vehicle sales to be zero emission by 2030, moving to 100% by 2036
• 100% of eligible Queensland Government fleet passenger vehicles to be zero emission by 2026
• every new TransLink-funded bus added to the fleet to be zero-emissions from 2025 in South East Queensland and from 2025–2030 across regional Queensland.

Our commitment

With 46,200 electric vehicles and 6,400 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles now registered in Queensland, we will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure our EV charging landscape is smart and sustainable.

We will do this by:

• making more EV charging sites available to the public
• preparing the energy system for charging more EVs
• transitioning government passenger vehicles to EVs.

We will also share key learnings with the private sector, Charge Point Operators, industry and fleet and building owners to:

• assist with EV uptake and the safe installation of chargers, which are efficiently integrated with the grid
• use our trials to inform future government policy and support efficient private investment to enable continued affordable, clean, secure and reliable power.

Investment and incentives

The Queensland Government has invested $55 million to accelerate the shift to EVs. It includes:

• $45 million to the Queensland Zero Emission Vehicle Rebate Scheme for the purchase of eligible new EVs
• $10 million co-fund with industry to provide further public EV fast-charging infrastructure across Queensland.

In 2023, the eligible price cap of a new EV increased to $68,000 and the rebate amount increased from $3,000 to $6,000 for eligible households.

Importantly, the scheme is helping bolster the second-hand EV market for the long term, making EVs more affordable to all Queenslanders.

Government fleets and buses are being decarbonised and investment in EVs and EV infrastructure is increasing as technology makes EV mobile power banks capable of powering homes and businesses.

The Queensland Government is also investing $42 million to integrate Queensland’s zero emission vehicles through the Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan :

• $30 million has been allocated for zero emission vehicle-ready Government buildings
• $12 million for public charging program.

Investments in infrastructure and trials will support the efficient integration of electric vehicles into the electricity system.

Around 2,500 chargers are expected to be installed at government buildings by 2026.Up to 500 of these will be available for public use at locations such as hospitals, theatres and convention centres.

Park ’n’ Plug EV chargers will be trialled at commuter carparks at Eight Mile Plains bus station and Coomera train station in South East Queensland. In an Australian first, these chargers will be actively managed in concert with the broader needs of the energy grid.

National Electric Vehicle Strategy

To further support the state’s EV ambitions, in 2023 the Queensland Competition Authority (QCA) announced a new solar soaker (or EV-friendly) tariff for regional Queensland.

This will encourage the owners of electric vehicles to use their clean energy during the day when solar generation is generally abundant.

The Australian Government also released Australia’s first National Electric Vehicle Strategy in 2023. This will  give Australians a better selection of electric vehicles and promote greater use of cleaner, cheaper-to-run vehicles.

The strategy also looks at reducing barriers to electric vehicle uptake, whether it be demand, supply or infrastructure.

On 27 March 2024, the Australian Government introduced legislation to enact Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard  with an anticipated commencement date of January 2025.

The Queensland Government’s submission outlined support for its introduction.

QFleet

The Queensland Government’s fleet manager, QFleet, aims to replace all eligible government passenger vehicles with electric vehicles by 2026.

Reaching a significant milestone with the addition of its 1,000^th EV in April this year, QFleet has now transitioned 54% of its eligible passenger fleet to EVs and is on track to achieve its 2026 target, with more than 1,400 EVs already on the road.

Once the QFleet EV vehicles reach the end of their leases, they are sold via public auction, helping to create a viable second-hand market for EVs that everyday Queenslanders can access.

QFleet research shows the annual fuel savings of 500 EVs in its fleet is about $908,348, or $1,816 per vehicle.

In the QFleet Electric Vehicles Strategy 2023–2026 (PDF, 3.9MB), it is estimated the transition of all eligible vehicles would reduce emissions by 5.2 kilotonnes (71%).

QFleet’s EVs are being used across most government agencies in the delivery of a range of frontline services including to:

• care for patients
• provide education services
• deliver sports and recreation programs,
• enabe progress checks for critical project management activities.

Read more

More information about our EV-related projects will be available online as they progress, including locations of public charging stations and outcomes from the trials.

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