Charging Forward to Net Zero

February 10, 2025

The colourfully-iconic A.G. Coombs utility vehicles are a regular sight on the roads of eastern Australia. As the daily utilitarian workhorses of A.G. Coombs field teams, they play a crucial role in helping to construct, modify, service and maintain clients’ assets. To align with A.G. Coombs’ commitment to net zero, a pilot is underway to test and explore the transition from diesel to emissions-free utility vehicles.

In December 2021, A.G. Coombs made a public commitment to net-zero targets. These targets include achieving net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030, and scope 3 emissions by 2040.

Scope 1 emissions are defined as those that a company directly causes by operating things that it owns or controls such as buildings, machinery or vehicles, whilst Scope 2 emissions are the emissions created by the production of the energy that an organisation purchases. Scope 3 emissions are the indirect emissions that the organisation influences through its activities.

Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 are the terms used to categorise the different kinds of carbon emissions a company can influence

The term first appeared in the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol of 2001 and today, Scopes are the basis for mandatory GHG reporting in a number of countries including Australia.

Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions can be simply described as follows:

Scope 1 emissions: Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions that a company has direct control over — for example operating vehicles, using natural gas to fuel boilers or refrigerant leakage from air conditioning equipment.

Scope 2 emissions: Emissions a company causes indirectly – such as the fossil fuel-generated electricity it buys for heating and cooling buildings or other processes.

Scope 3 emissions: All emissions not directly created by the company itself, but those that the organisation is indirectly responsible for, up and down its value chain – for example those associated with the supply of the products and services it uses or those it provides to its clients. Scope 3 emissions are often the most challenging to address.

Walk before running

According to Andrew Nagarajah, Sustainability Leader – Group Engineering at A.G. Coombs, a significant proportion of the company’s Scope 1 and 2 emissions are related to its fleet of work vehicles.

“With just under 400 diesel utility vehicles across A.G. Coombs Projects, A.G. Coombs Service, Walker Fire Protection, Butler Electrical and Integrated Technical Management business units, they are an essential tool of the trade in our whole-of-life service delivery model. They also contribute substantially to our combined Scope 1 and 2 emissions, so we decided to undertake an EV Pilot to test the capabilities of fully-electric vehicles, that could be charged with 100% renewable energy.”

The first challenge to confront the team was vehicle choice. As of early 2024, only one fully-electric suitable utility vehicle was available in Australia: the LDV eT60 electric dual cab ute.

Whilst not quite aligned to the specification of the existing diesel fleet, it was important to commence the EV Pilot and understand the nuances that may be involved in an eventual transition to EVs.

“It’s a huge transformation to make a sweeping fleet change and we are trying to balance this with making progress on our 2030 net-zero commitment,” adds Andrew. “We recognised the lengthy gestation period for transitioning our entire fleet, so it has been important to embrace early testing and first-hand user feedback.”

Powering up

A.G. Coombs has worked closely in an industry-first for commercial utility vehicles in this transition pilot with Origin 360 EV Fleet, part of energy retailer Origin Energy. Origin 360 EV Fleet assists organisations to transition their fossil fuel fleets to electric fleets.

There are currently four fully-branded LDV electric utility vehicles in the A.G. Coombs fleet, with two allocated to maintenance technicians in Victoria and two in New South Wales. As part of the pilot, A.G. Coombs has installed chargers at technicians’ homes.

Chargers have also been installed at the A.G. Coombs Newington and Port Melbourne locations, acting as ‘safe haven’ backup charging hubs.

The reality

Interesting learnings have already emerged from the first few months of the EV Pilot.

Public-charging infrastructure in the city centres of Melbourne and Sydney are not viable options for A.G. Coombs vehicles. The reasons include: the location of charging stations in multi-storey car parks where commercial vehicles with roof top ladder racks have difficulty accessing; the already high and increasing public demand for charger time; and the available charging speed is generally insufficient for requirements.

One of the very early concerns was ‘range anxiety’ – a common apprehension experienced by EV users relating to the adequacy of their vehicle’s battery charge to complete a journey or the availability of charging stations in the journey.

The quoted range for EVs is often calculated on the basis of an unloaded vehicle and this is an important practical aspect to be explored in the pilot project with the diversity of vehicle travel and loading profiles that A.G. Coombs requires.

Low emissions, high engagement

The mention of electric vehicles can evoke a variety of responses from drivers – views that can be amplified when people may have a strong affiliation with existing preferences. For those working on the EV Pilot program, there’s a recognition that this cultural consideration can be just as important as the technical and practical challenges.

A.G. Coombs’ ambition is to establish a carbon emissions-free fleet with vehicles that have a strong appeal to drivers. The EV Pilot team will continue exploring new vehicle model options as they emerge including plug-in hybrid commercial vehicles as the program expands.

For Jane Taylor, Manager of Quality Health Safety & Environment at A.G. Coombs, the EV Pilot goes beyond a net-zero transition.

“A.G. Coombs’ vehicles are a source of pride for our people, and we want to create an environment where we successfully balance meeting climate targets with human wellbeing and enjoyment at work. When we see these vehicles on the road, we’re very proud of our brand and what it stands for. It’s not just a place where we work, it’s a place we’re passionate about, embodying where we come from and who we represent.”

This article originally appeared in BE — Building Efficiency magazine.

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