Nearly 150 electric trucks will deliver groceries to Australian homes in the country’s largest electric truck rollout to date.
Zenobē has leased 148 Foton T5 battery-electric trucks (BETs) to Woolworths, with first deliveries commencing in May and the full fleet rollout expected this year.
“This project is evidence that electrification is a commercial opportunity,” Zenobē country director – Australia and New Zealand Gareth Ridge said.
“Woolworths is already rolling out hundreds of electric trucks at scale, that’s almost unheard of in Australia’s freight sector and proof that with the right business model and competitive pricing from Zenobē, electrification stacks up right now.”
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Ridge said the project confirms that zero-emissions road freight “is no longer a pilot”.
“It’s commercially viable and operationally proven,” he said.
The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has contributed $22 million to the initiative.
“This investment reflects the commercial viability of BETs, and enables Zenobē to set competitive rentals to incentivise customers to lease BETs,” CEFC head of infrastructure Julia Hinwood said.
“Backing deployments in hard-to-abate sectors like freight helps normalise new technologies and bring in wider private investment.”
Zenobē will retain ownership of the fleet, allowing Woolworths to deploy BETs during the lease term without taking on end-of-life risk. This represents a ‘one-stop-shop’ for customers who take up the lease rental, inclusive of vehicle maintenance, warranties and upgrades.
Uptake of passengers EVs is on the rise in Australia, but BET adoption has been slow, with only 0.9 per cent of the 12,003 trucks and heavy vans sold in Australia in 2026 being electric.
Transport emissions are expected to increase 10 per cent by 2040 with road freight activity set to grow approximately 35 per cent by 2040, underlining the importance of truck electrification. Transport currently comprises 23 per cent of Australia’s emissions footprint.
CEFC has helped finance more than 20,000 EVs, exceeding $1.2 billion in value.
