NVES from the Ground Up: Elders Shares the End-User Perspective
WORDS BY ANBY ALCOMENDAS
With the introduction of Australia’ s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard( NVES), much of the discussion has focused on manufacturers and industry-wide impacts. But for operational fleets, the changes bring a different set of questions especially for those operating in remote and rural areas.
To gain insight into how the NVES is being approached from an end-user point of view, AfMA spoke with Nina Abbey, Procurement Management at Elders, one of Australia’ s most well-established agribusinesses with a vast fleet presence across the country.
NVES: Risks, Opportunities, and Early Engagement
“ When NVES was announced in March 2024, our priority was to better understand the policy, industry perspectives, and the potential impacts
on our fleet— particularly in terms of capability and cost.” Nina explained.
“ With a national footprint that includes remote and rural branches, Elders operates a fleet of around 2,000 assets. Over half of these are diesel-powered 4WD utility vehicles, which are essential for our operations.”
“ The biggest unknown for us was how NVES might affect our diesel fleet both in the short and long term,” she said.
To navigate the uncertainty, Elders engaged directly with vehicle manufacturers.
“ We recognised that change can present both risks and opportunities, so we engaged with key vehicle manufacturers to understand how they were planning to meet the new emissions reduction targets.”
16 ISSUE 52 APRIL 2025 / WWW. AFMA. ORG. AU