Sydney-headquartered zero-emission trucking company New Energy Transport has completed the longest single-charge electric heavy road freight delivery in Australia, transporting a total weight of 36 tonnes from Picton, south of Sydney, to Beresfield in the Hunter region.
The trip demonstrated electric road freight is both capable of reducing emissions and being cost competitive with diesel.
The demonstration drive was delivered in partnership with United States-headquartered logistics company Multiquip and China-based long-haul, zero-emissions heavy-duty electric truck developer Windrose.
Image: New Energy Transport
New Energy Transport Co-Chief Executive Officer Daniel Bleakley said the potential of zero-emission heavy road freight is immense.
“New Energy Transport is a new kind of trucking company. By combining low-cost renewable energy, high-speed charging and electric prime movers, New Energy Transport offers zero-emission road freight at diesel-based prices,” Bleakley said.
“We’re incredibly proud to be working with Multiquip to demonstrate the awesome capabilities of heavy electric trucks. This is the longest single-charge electric trucking demonstration in Australia to date.”
“The successful journey proves that it’s possible to do zero-emission road freight in a cost competitive way while improving productivity and performance outcomes when compared to diesel-based freight.”
Trip reduction time
The Windrose electric prime mover cut the round-trip journey time between Multiquip’s Picton and Beresfield facilities by 40 minutes, representing a 12% time saving.
Key to the improved delivery time is the electric truck’s ability to sustain high speeds when travelling uphill – where diesel trucks typically slow down.
Multiquip reported its average highway speed for a diesel-powered delivery on the route is 85km/h, while the Windrose electric truck was able to deliver an average speed of 98 km/h.
Image: New Energy Transport
Heavy electric trucking depot
New Energy Transport has secured its first and Australia’s largest heavy electric trucking depot near Wilton, 80 kilometres southwest of Sydney.
The site will support up to 50 heavy electric trucks and tap into the dense freight corridors between Sydney, Wollongong and Canberra, serving as a launch point for electric line-haulage between Sydney and Melbourne.
New Energy Transport Co-Chief Executive Officer Fredrik Pehrsson said the company plans to build its own charging infrastructure and expand its operations to service routes between Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane by 2031.
“There’s a lot of possibilities coming with electrification and we’re excited about what is to come,” Pehrsson said.
“Our vision is based on also being able to deliver our own charging infrastructure, which is why New Energy Transport is also securing this in the back end of our operation. So we’re building our own charging infrastructure to support our own electric heavy prime movers for our customers.”
NSW Member for Wollondilly Judy Hannan said the depot will reduce air and noise pollution, boost the local economy and provide high-quality long-term jobs.
“The testing of the trucks shows there are alternatives that are not only better for the environment but also better for the driver and the business owner,” Hannan said.
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Thanks Ev. Great article on a hugely important topic!
What a fantastic demonstration of the capability of electric heavy transport!
I remember reading in New Scientist a number of years ago of the aerodynamic drag caused by the bluff back end of trucks (causes a vacuum effect and a lot of turbulence) but that putting a tapered ballon on the rear-end can reduce drag and provide significant reduction in fuel consumption. The link here provides a suitable design that is just crying out to be tested on the Windrose Truck: https://www.yankodesign.com/2017/12/13/hey-elon-heres-an-idea-for-your-semi-trucks/
Not technically very challenging to make such a device from air tight material and a jumping castle type blower to inflate once at highway speed.