Victoria introduced a road-user charge to be levied on plug-in-type electric and hydrogen vehicles (zero and low emission vehicles, ZLEVs) from July 2021. 120 Direct EV assistance to owners of ZLEVs is provided via an AUD100 registration concession as well as an AUD3,000 ZLEV purchase subsidy for 20,000 vehicles purchased on or after 2 May 2021. 121 The state has an EV policy roadmap and is calling for businesses and other organisations to install EV charging stations across the state, with AUD5 million in funding to expand Victoria’s network of fast chargers. 122 The ACT claims to have Australia’s most generous financial incentives for the purchase and registration of ZLEVs. A two-year waiver of registration and interest-free loans (up to AUD15,000) for ZLEVs to help cover the purchase price, applied to acquisitions on or after 24 May 2021. 123 Queensland and the Northern Territory offer reduced registration for EVs. 124 Australian states and territories do not subsidise EV home charging equipment, although some states indirectly provide rebates for solar panels. 125 3.6. DERs and EVs Background on a recent RACE for 2030 project for EVs A RACE for 2030 project on business fleets and EVs and taxation support published in 2022 126 investigated the necessity of tax changes to accelerate the uptake of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) by business fleets. Up to 47% of fleet vehicles are home-garaged 127, providing an opportunity for business fleet BEVs to be home charged using smart meters and to optimise CO2 emissions reduction. Road transport internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) contributed to 18.3% of Australia’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions 120 ‘Hybrid or Electric Vehicle Registration Discounts’, Vic Roads (Web Page, 16 June 2021) ; ‘Zero Emissions Vehicles’, Victoria State Government (Web Page, 16 September 2022) ; ‘ZLEV Road User Charge’, Vic Roads (Web Page, 20 July 2022) ; Ben Zachariah, ‘Victoria Passes Road-User Tax for Electric Vehicles, Industry Reacts’, Drive (Web Page, 26 May 2021) . 121 State of Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria’s Zero Emissions Vehicle Roadmap (Report, May 2021) . 122 Hon Daniel Andrews, Premier of Victoria, ‘Getting More Electric Vehicle Chargers across Victoria’ (Media Release, 24 June 2021) . 123 ‘Cars and Vehicles’, ACT Government (Web Page, 2021) . 124 ‘Shifting to Zero Emission Vehicles’, Queensland Government (Web Page, 1 July 2022) ; ‘Registration Fees: Electric Vehicle Registration’, NT.gov.au (Web Page, 1 July 2022) . 125 See ‘Solar Panel (PV) Rebate’, Solar Victoria (Web Page, 24 August 2022) . 126 Anna Mortimore, Diane Kraal, Lee K-H., Klemm C., Akimov A., Business Fleets and EVs: Taxation Changes to Support Home Charging from the Grid, and Affordability (Final Report, RACE for 2030 project, 2022), 127 Australasian Fleet Management Association (‘AfMA’) and AGL Energy Ltd, Survey: Electric Vehicles in Business Fleets (Report, 2020). N4 Opportunity Assessment – DSO and beyond 47

Distribution System Operator (DSO) and beyond. Final technical report