Fonterra is now operating the country’s first Volvo electric truck as part of a six-month trial based in Auckland.
In partnership with Volvo Trucks NZ and its parent company Sime Darby Motors NZ, Fonterra will put the Volvo FL Electric to work for ambient deliveries around the city from its distribution centre in Mangere.
The medium-duty electric truck has been in the country since April and was undergoing pre-commercial testing before its official handover.
The 4×2 FL Electric has a gross vehicle weight of 16,000kg and is designed to be an ideal solution for zero-emission metropolitan deliveries with a range of up to 250km.
It has a 600V system with four traction batteries delivering 425Nm of torque and130kW of continuous power which is delivered to the rear wheels via a two-speed automated transmission.
Charging times on the model range from 11 hours (22kW AC) to two hours (150kW DC) — a 150kW charger gets a flat battery to 85% in around 60 minutes.
Fonterra Brands NZ managing director Brett Henshaw says the new truck is an important step for the co-op’s efforts to reduce emissions across its entire supply chain.
In July this year, Fonterra also launched its first electric milk tanker using battery swap technology with the support of government funding.
Last year it implemented a new policy that all light vehicles that can be electric will be transitioned when they are next replaced. Fonterra’s aim is for more than 300 light vehicles to be electric vehicles by the end of 2023.
“Our objective is to fulfil our co-op’s long-term commitment to be a leader in sustainability, while also upholding our customer commitments,” Henshaw says.
“It’s great to partner with Volvo Trucks NZ, and one of the largest groups supporting the New Zealand transport industry, Sime Darby Motors NZ.”
Meanwhile, Volvo’s FL Electric is just one model from a stable of zero-emission alternatives set to come from the global truck brand. Heavier versions are on the horizon with the New Zealand order book expected to open as early as 2024 for the brand’s heavy duty EV range up to 44 tonnes.
Globally, Volvo has signalled its intention to offer its entire truck product range fossil-free by 2040.
The FL Electric has already been launched in Australia with Linfox among companies testing the vehicle in its BevChain beverage logistics business fleet in Melbourne.
Volvo Group Australia emerging technology vice president Paul Illmer says the brand has a battery electric or fuel cell electric alternative for every internal combustion engine (ICE) model on the market, either currently in production or at trial stage.
Illmer says the actual truck is only part of the solution when it comes to New Zealand’s transition to sustainable transport.
“Tools, expertise and infrastructure are essential to deliver operational peace of mind for New Zealand transport companies as they make the shift to e-mobility.
“Selecting the right model and specification for both application and route is critical, as is driver training, specialist aftersales support, and charging infrastructure,” he says.
At the FL Electric launch event on December 12, the Volvo Trucks technical team demonstrated route planning technology and tools that support proactive route and battery management.
This aims to give transport operators confidence facing customer contract guarantees during their transition to electric vehicle technology.
Volvo Trucks NZ national sales manager Scott Robinson says his technical team has been preparing for electric trucks on the ground over the past year.
“To support the electric truck we’ve heavily invested in training our technicians,” he says.
It saw the company’s national technical services and standards manager Fergus Lusty travel to Volvo’s global headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, for intensive training.
This will allow the team to certify technicians on the EV commission and decommission process and train the Sime Darby commercial aftersales network on processes required to prepare workshops to service electric trucks and become authorised EV repairers, Robinson says.
“What we’re finding here with technicians who are untrained around electric vehicles is that they’re a little bit wary because they’re not sure what they can and can’t do with them,”
More training will take place next year around battery servicing as well as training for truck bodybuilders on working with EVs, he says.
