GATR Truck Center has made a significant step toward an all-electric transport future, with a deal to acquire 1,150 zero-emissions SEA M5 electric vehicles (EV) for its clients across Minnesota and Iowa.

The deal will see the first 40 trucks delivered by the end of 2021, with the remainder delivered throughout 2022, with demonstration models made available for fleets to sample the technology for the first time.

The package features the Hino Class 5 chassis, fitted with a SEA Electric SEA-Drive Power System. The truck’s drivetrain features a 1,106-lb-ft electric motor in combination with a 138 kWh battery pack, which provides performance and range potential.

For GATR EV, the announcement will form the cornerstone of an e-commerce system currently in development focusing purely on the sale of electric vehicles.

“The GATR companies are proud to be a leader in this huge momentum shift towards electric vehicles in our industry,” states Matt Gordon, president of GATR Truck Centers/GATR EV. “We pride ourselves on being innovators in our industry, being stewards of the environment, and exploring new opportunities to facilitate our customers in growing their companies and becoming more profitable.”

GATR EV has struck a partnership with Merchants Fleet Management Company, which will give clients access to the national leasing company. For Merchants Fleet, the deal is the first step in a commitment to making 50% of its mobility fleet electric by 2025, and 50% of its managed clients’ fleets EV by 2030.

Read the full article at NGT News by Ariana Fine published on November 12, 2021.

Australian zero-emissions truck manufacturer SEA Electric has turned to rooftop solar power for its Melbourne assembly facility, with the installation of a 100kW solar power system SEA Electric says its system features an array of 250 x 400W solar panels and is currently tracking at 90 per cent carbon positive, having produced 24MWH of energy to date.

“Here at SEA Electric, we are proud to be leading the charge to eliminate CO2 emissions through our range of all-electric trucks; the next logical step has been to run our manufacturing facility purely on solar power,” said Glen Walker, SEA Electric Vice President – Asia Pacific.

“Electricity generation and transport are the two biggest producers of carbon dioxide in Australia, so all-electric transport powered by renewable energy makes a lot of sense moving forward.

“For new SEA Electric owners, making the switch to zero-emissions logistics eliminates diesel consumption and lowers maintenance costs, with fewer moving parts requiring less ongoing servicing.

“The SEA Electric range provides financial advantages for daily use over conventional trucks, even if charged by power supplied from the grid.”

Electric vehicles are only one aspect of the new energy ecosystem, with the vehicles having the ability to provide energy storage opportunities, which in the future will pave the way to further power grid stability and flexibility.

The Founder and CEO of SEA Electric, Tony Fairweather, has first-hand insight regarding the deployment of large-scale electric-powered fleets in the USA.

“Many of these large fleets utilise their vehicles for less than half of a 24 hour day; the balance is spent in depot yards, where rooftop solar panels can generate ample power supply to fully charge their batteries,” Fairweather said.

“Consider a future transport depot to be a nationally networked, renewable power plant, not only charging fleets but also offering excess stored energy back into the power grid, possibly supported by additional on-site battery storage.

“While Moss Landing in California houses the world’s largest and most expensive battery storage facility, SEA Electric plans to deploy more battery capacity in 2024 than that entire facility.

“Essentially it is mobile and readily available storage ‘on wheels’.

“With Australia now agreeing to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 at the recent UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), look no further than networked depot power plants to contribute substantially to achieving this critical milestone.

“Generations to come are depending on it.”

Further details on the SEA Electric range and its national dealer network can be found here.

Read the full article at Truck Sales published on November 5, 2021.

Destined for a range of heavy duties, from transporting mining supplies to moving temperature-controlled freight the first SEA 300-85 has been manufactured in Melbourne.

SEA Electric, an Australian company specialising in the assembly and 100% electrification of commercial vehicles for a global market, today announced the first of its 8.5 tonne SEA 300-85 trucks to roll off its Melbourne production line.

The truck, with a 138 kWh battery driving a motor with 1,500 Nm torque, has been delivered to Mineral Resources (MRL), a mining services company that provides services to clients throughout Western Australia, and also operates iron ore, lithium and other mines in the Pilbara and Goldfields regions of the state.

MRL will use the SEA 300-85 to transport materials between mine sites, and this particular vehicle will serve as a flagship for the company’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint — that is, it will take pride of place at community events and roadshows.

“We’ve developed a transition plan to a low-carbon future and that includes reducing our reliance on diesel,” Mike Grey, MRL’s Chief Executive of Mining Services, said in a statement.

He added, “Our mission is to grow our mining services and operations responsibly,” and transport offers the company a low-hanging-fruit opportunity for reducing carbon emissions.

Transportation for mines comes clean

The SEA announcement comes just weeks after the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) invested $5 million in New South Wales Hunter Valley-based battery technology producer 3ME Technology which enables miners to swap out diesel engines with innovative modular battery electric systems.

Direct and indirect (from energy used to power operations) emissions from oil, gas, mining and metals processing industries in Australia contribute more than a quarter of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions, which has led the CEFC to increase its focus on decarbonising Australia’s resources sector

CEO of the CEFC, Ian Learmonth, said earlier this month that, “The decarbonisation of Australia’s resources sector is critical to our clean energy transition and electrification has an important part to play.”

SEA Electric has been performing driveline swaps on existing internal combustion-engine powered trucks since 2017, and it says the move to become an Original Equipment Manufacturer, constructing vehicles “from new” on its new Melbourne production line will reduce the cost of its trucks, increase efficiencies, reduce waste and accelerate the speed of manufacture.

Electric trucks in all sizes

The SEA300-85 is one in a full range of pure electric truck models — from 4.5-tonne trucks that can be driven with a car licence, to 22.5-tonne three-axle rigid transporters — available through a network of 12 dealerships around Australia.

Founded in Australia, SEA Electric is now headquartered in Los Angeles in the US and supplies customers in the US, New Zealand, Thai, Indonesian and South African markets.

Less than a week ago it announced its largest ever order, for 1,150 SEA Hino M5 EVs, from GATR EV a division of GATR Truck Center which has five dealerships across the US states of Iowa and Minnesota.

GATR has a partnership with Merchants Fleet, a fast-growing US fleet-management company which has committed more than $2 billion towards electrifying 50% of its mobility fleet by 2025, and 50% of its clients’ fleets by 2030.

To meet such demand, GATR Truck Center is developing an e-commerce system that will sell purely electric vehicles and its strategic partnership with SEA Electric, said Jay Klemp, Director of Sales at GATR EV, means “we can build enough of these Hino trucks to provide demonstration vehicles and also solutions to our future fleet partners.”

Look, you guys, no incentives!

Nick Casas, SEA Electric Vice President of Sales and Marketing, said last week, “This is our first four-digit order and it comes in a non-incentive state, which proves that commercial EV solutions can expand in areas with no incentives”.

SEA Electric is in the process of replicating the production techniques it has developed in Australia for other global markets.

“Australian manufacturing and ingenuity is alive and well, said Bill Gillespie, President of SEA Electric in the Asia Pacific region.

”The response from the transport industry since the launch of our local volume production is heartening,” he added, saying the company hoped to pass many more milestones on the road to its stated mission, which is to eliminate more than a billion kilograms of CO2 emissions over the coming five years.

Read the full article at PV Magazine published on October 25, 2021.