Government on track for its Commonwealth fleet electric vehicle transition by 2025, Senate estimates told

The Department of Finance, which manages leases of the government fleet, has 305 low-emissions vehicles on order, acting first assistant secretary Rachel Antone told a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday evening.

"We're assessing the number of orders in the pipeline for the given year and ensuring that the great majority of those are indeed electric," Ms Antone said.

"And at this stage we're tracking around the 50 per cent mark but as I say it's slow to start off with and certainly will increase over the next few years."

The Commonwealth fleet is available to government entities, but is different from the car-with-driver service used by parliamentarians which currently comprises diesel-powered BMWs.

With a tranche of current leases ending this year, the government is aiming for 75 per cent of its new vehicle leases to be low emissions by 2025.

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Government funding for the electric vehicle transition also incorporates money for charging infrastructure at its offices as well.

But public servants remained vague on whether government properties would be compatible with electric vehicle charging when pressed by Nationals senator Ross Cadell.

"Our expectation is that vehicles would be charged in charging stations that are developed in the next 12 to 18 months in office locations or in locations near office buildings," deputy secretary Andrew Jaggers said.

"And they'll be managed by each of the entities that are taking the vehicles."

First assistant secretary Nick McClintock said the department was working with the owners of government properties to establish more charging facilities.

"We're working with entities and owners of tenancies around what is available across the Commonwealth space to ensure that going forward, we have that capability increasingly," he said.

Correction: Low emissions vehicles will make up half of the government's new Commonwealth fleet not its Comcar leases, as an earlier version of this article said.

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