Sustainable Energy Now

08/10/2026

Is the next wave of electrification on our roads heavy vehicles?

Here are five signs that trucks, traditionally powered by diesel, are increasingly likely to be electrified in future:

1. 💰Thin margins in the transport and lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) with electric trucks. Analysis has shown that electric trucks are already the lowest cost transport option in six out of nine major EU markets, which account for 46% of all new heavy trucks sold in the EU. In the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark, savings can reach €100,000, €85,000 and €69,000 respectively over five years according to the analysis by the clean transport campaign group Transport and Environment.

2. 🇨🇳 Unsurprisingly, China is leading the way with adoption of electric trucks - reporting more than 200,000 electrified heavy duty vehicles sold in 2025. Investments in charging and battery swapping infrastructure have helped electric trucks achieve more than 30% of market share already in 2026. This has unleashed a wave of technology innovation and development which Australia can benefit from and add to.

3. 🚛 Western Australia’s first electric freight network, with three 12-bay charging hubs planned between Perth and Bunbury is being developed by Purpose Energy in partnership with major haulage firm Centurion. The $137m plan is expected to feature battery swapping technology to reduce idle time.

4. ⚡️On the east coast of Australia, New Energy Transport is planning to have a fleet of up to 50 electric prime movers operating from Wilton in the southwest of Sydney. The customer from one test run - a 480km round trip - stated that the electric truck was “significantly faster uphill, kept up with traffic easily, and the torque delivery was immediate. Each direction we saved about 20 minutes compared to our diesel trucks.”

5. 🔋Tesla has started mass production of its Semi electric truck in Nevada with the capacity to produce 50,000 trucks per year. Tesla Semi has variants with 500km and 800km of range and the manufacturer states the truck “requires almost no maintenance".

With Australia’s diesel-thirsty transport sector being the third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, and with diesel prices soaring and supply security concerns, the case for electric trucks powered by Aussie renewables is quickly becoming more compelling.

Sarah Aubrey of Electrify This will be talking about electric trucks (and other EV innovations) at our SEN Presents event on Electrification of Road Transport in on Monday 19 October 5.30pm for a 6pm start. Get tickets: https://sen.asn.au/events/2026-10-19-sen-presents-electrification-of-road-transport/

06/10/2026

EVs have now outsold petrol cars for two months in a row. Come and find out more from Sarah Aubrey, founder of Electrify This at our upcoming event in https://sen.asn.au/events/2026-10-19-sen-presents-electrification-of-road-transport/

Thoughts and prayers petro bros.

05/10/2026

Did you know… one of the biggest factors that helps maintain the health of a battery in an EV is the level of charge that it is parked at? 🚙

In line with most manufacturers’ guidelines, the CSIRO suggests keeping the charge level of an EV battery between 20% and 80%. 🔋

More recently chief executive of battery testing company Aviloo, Marcus Berger told the UK’s Financial Times: “What very few consumers know is: don’t park your cars with 100, 90 or 80 per cent state of charge. It’s just harming the battery,” adding that the ideal level was between 30 per cent and 70 per cent.

Research also shows batteries of EVs can degrade faster in hotter climates.

The CSIRO sates that frequent fast charging can also accelerate battery degradation, with most car companies recommending charging an EV primarily on slower AC charging at home or work with charger speeds of up to 7kW.

If you’re considering buying a used EV it is recommended to get the battery independently tested - there are a growing number of companies offering this service.

Find out more about the accelerating uptake of EVs at our Perth event - Electrification of Road Transport: https://sen.asn.au/events/2026-10-19-sen-presents-electrification-of-road-transport/

04/10/2026

Want to know how electrification can save you money and reduce your carbon footprint? Our friends at Rewiring Australia have developed a handy interactive home electrification tool - Electric Saul.

You enter details about your home and the vehicles you own and, within just a couple of minutes, Electric Saul gives you the smartest next step in electrification, with personalised guidance, real numbers and a plan you can act on.

It’s completely free and covers options including:

☀️rooftop solar
🔋home batteries
🚿electric hot water
🪭heating and cooling
🍳induction cooktops
🚙 electric vehicles

Get started at:

https://rewiringaustralia.org/electric-saul

29/09/2026

𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚!

For the first time in Australia, sales of EVs outstripped the sale of cars with petrol engines in August 2026.

Of the 108,760 new vehicles delivered last month, according to data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, 24.9% (a total of 27,078 vehicles) were EVs, compared to:

> 25,824 deliveries of petrol-powered vehicles
> 23,608 diesels,
> 18,662 hybrids, and
> 10,591 plug-in hybrids (PHEVs)

This was the first month that cars with electric drivetrains have outsold cars with all other types of propulsion.

Combined electrified vehicles (EVs, hybrids, and PHEVs) captured 51.8% of the total market.

EV sales were up a staggering 169.4 per cent year-on- year (compared to August 2025).

>> If you’re interested in finding out more about the accelerating uptake of EVs in Australia and the impact on the WA grid join us at the State Library on Monday 19th October at 5.30pm when we welcome:

Sarah Aubrey, founder of Electrify This,
Alexandra Bolzonello from Sustainable Energy Now, Kitty Hemsley from the Australian Electric Vehicle Association (AEVA) and Alex Foster from EV Charging Systems.

Get tickets:

02/05/2023

There will be a SEN Presents events on Monday the 15th of May on the subject of CONCENTRATED SOLAR POWER.
See

Concentrated Solar Power / Thermal (CSP / T) is currently undergoing a renaissance despite falling PV, wind and battery prices.

09/04/2023

https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/wa-circuit-breaker-mb2889/

Common sense has prevailed concerning a circuit breaker rule in WA creating headaches for some households and businesses.