Driving the Nation Program

Driving the Nation Program

Funds zero-emission vehicle development and deployment across Australia to strengthen real-world implementation.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency's Driving the Nation Program is a continuously open funding vehicle for projects that accelerate zero emission vehicle uptake across Australia. The program has been open since 15 October 2025 with no fixed closing date. It operates across three focus areas: demonstration and deployment of heavy battery electric vehicles, development and deployment of heavy BEV charging infrastructure, and vehicle-to-grid technology and broader ZEV innovation. All three focus areas are active simultaneously under the rolling structure.

Eligible applicants include for-profit businesses, universities, nonprofits, and research organisations with projects operating in Australia. Individual applicants are not eligible. Award caps and the total program pool are not published on the landing page; ARENA sizes awards to project scope as assessed through the application process. The standard submission path is a two-stage EOI followed by Full Application, submitted through the ARENANet portal. Applicants must register on ARENANet before any submission and are encouraged to contact ARENA before lodging an EOI.

Driving the Nation targets projects that can demonstrate a clear pathway to increased ZEV uptake in the Australian market, with a priority on heavy vehicles — trucks, buses, and commercial fleets — where the charging and grid-integration challenges are most pronounced. Assessment criteria, co-funding expectations, and detailed eligibility requirements are set out in the Program Guidelines PDF available on ARENA's website. Organisations with projects in heavy-fleet electrification, depot charging at scale, or grid-responsive V2G technology should treat the rolling open status as an opportunity to engage ARENA and refine their application before competitor projects advance through the pipeline.