The latest federal budget has subtly left out funding from a hydrogen truck program to bring the zero-emissions technology to Australia’s heavy vehicle market.
Ahead of the federal election, which is set to be called for May 3, the budget this week removed $75 million of uncommitted funding from the government’s Hydrogen Highways program.
The program was set to encourage the uptake of hydrogen fuel cell trucks in Australia, with a series of refuelling stations designated to be built along the Hume Highway, but reports suggest this development has now been abandoned.
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The funding removal comes after the hydrogen industry received a boost late last year when Pure Hydrogen registered the nation’s first hydrogen fuel cell prime mover in Queensland.
A spokeswoman for federal climate change and energy minister Chris Bowen told the AFR it declined to clarify whether the program was shut down.
“We have made historic investments in hydrogen as part of a Future Made in Australia,” the spokeswoman says.
“As a part of that, we’re reallocating funding from the Hydrogen Highways program for other priorities to accelerate decarbonisation in the transport sector.”
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