A fleet of nine electric trucks, manufactured in Melbourne, Australia is officially hitting the road.
Australasian operator Kings Transport took delivery of nine completely electric SEA Electric 10-tonne rigid trucks with an approximate 200km driving range per charge.
SEA Electric’s modular driveline is retrofitted to existing cab chassis which executive chairperson Tony Fairweather says is a crowning achievement for Australia’s transport industry.
“We are proud to deliver the first 100% electric vehicle to Kings Transport,” he says.
“This technology is for the small- to medium-sized commercial vehicle segment where transport businesses operate relatively fixed route applications with overnight layovers – which is the perfect application for electric vehicles,” says Fairweather.
He says the company’s strategy was to license the retrofitting drivelines to a list of medium-duty OEMs in the future.
Kings Transport chief executive officer Tony Mellick says it’s the right time for taking such action in his fleet.
“It’s is beyond question now that electric vehicles are going to be a substantial part of both the passenger and commercial vehicle sector in the future,” he says.
The electric component manufacturer has three vehicles including a light electric van called the E4V, and the EV10 which is a nine to 11 tonne rigid truck with the capability of being upgraded to a 12-15 tonne rigid truck.
The company received a half-million dollar grant from the Victorian government’s Energy Jobs Fund to boost the programme.
The company says it is receiving inquiries from Iveco Australia and New Zealand-based waste management organisations about its electrification technology.
