It will perhaps come as a surprise, but in Australia, where you can walk into several brands of car dealerships and order a brand-new electric vehicle, truck buyers do not have the same choices.

Despite the advantages of electrified trucks – and there are many in an urban environment – it seems odd that, with a couple of exceptions – Fuso and Volvo – no electric-truck manufacturer from anywhere in the world has set up shop in this country.

And even in the case of those two exceptions, both makers offer just one or two models respectively, limiting market penetration and consumer choice even further.

Certainly, globally, there are plenty of manufacturers of such things, but at this stage, no mainstream brand has really targeted the Australian truck market.

However, that’s not to say truck-fleet operators can’t get hold of a fully electric rigid truck up to 22.5 tonnes, and that’s all down to an innovative Australian company that has taken a novel approach to the issue.

SEA Electric Australia is the company, and what started as a business modifying conventional trucks to take them from diesel to electric power has since grown into a company employing 60 people, with a strategic alliance with Japanese giant Hino Trucks, and is producing about 50 trucks a year with plans to take that to 400 this calendar year.

SEA is also opening two plants in the USA and is about to list on the US Stock Exchange. Plans are also being drawn up for a manufacturing plant in Thailand and there’s been plenty of interest from Vietnam. There are also offices in London, prototypes testing for the Japanese market and operations across five continents.

Based in South Dandenong in outer-eastern Melbourne, and founded in Australia in 2012, the company started modifying donor trucks to a fully-electric driveline back in 2014. By 2016 things were starting to happen, and the last 18 months have been a whirlwind with the alliance formed with Hino Trucks (part of the Toyota empire).

The deal sees Hino ship semi-knocked down (SKD) trucks to SEA’s Dandenong plant, in the form of `gliders’ (trucks that are complete – but disassembled in this case – apart from the engine and driveline).

From there, the kits are assembled into bare chassis before being fitted with the SEA-developed electric driveline and, eventually a cabin and all the trimmings. Interestingly, the finished vehicles carry a SEA Electric VIN, not a Hino number.

The electric motors and batteries are sourced from China, but are built to SEA’s own specifications from prototypes engineered and built in Melbourne. And, crucially, all the development of the software that makes a modern EV possible was done in-house at SEA Electric Australia.

THE DESIGN
The SEA Electric product looks really no different from a conventional truck apart from elements such as not needing an air intake or exhaust pipe. Even the interior is pretty familiar, with just a couple of differences including a lack of a gear-shifter (there’s no transmission, after all, so three simple buttons suffice). But it’s clever beyond that with what was the lever for the exhaust brake being repurposed to operate the variable regenerative braking.

SEA Electric’s engineering team has also been praised globally (including by some competitors) for the way the vehicle is laid out. While many E-truck makers mount the battery-packs either side of the main ladder chassis (saddle-bag style), SEA uses that ladder structure to effect by mounting the battery packs within those main girders.

That gives the batteries much better protection from a side impact as well as sticking with the engineering principle of mass-centralisation. The battery-packs are split, with the second unit being placed over the front cross-member, exactly where the conventional engine and transmission would live. That has not only helped with the centre of gravity, but the mass of the batteries is close enough to that of the original driveline to mitigate the need to change suspension rates in the kit as it arrives from Hino.

WHICH TRUCKS AND WHY?
SEA Electric builds trucks ranging from a 4.5-tonne to 22.5 tonne rigid chassis. These are the trucks you’ll typically see delivering parcels, and pretty much anything else in an urban area. And it is this urban environment where an electric truck works the best.

That’s mainly for two reasons. The first is that while range is improving all the time, a battery-powered EV still has limitations. In the case of the SEA trucks, that range will depend on payload and fit-out, but will mostly fall between 200 and 350km. While that’s more than a typical urban truck will cover in a day, it doesn’t work logistically for long-range freight haulage.

Secondly, an electric driveline, with its ability to harvest the energy lost in braking in a conventional truck, is most efficient in stop-start and urban traffic flows.

Along with those factors, tailpipe pollution (of which an eTruck has none) is at its worst in a built-up area, so the advantages of a zero-emissions vehicle in that environment are impossible to ignore.

As far as performance goes, truck drivers all talk about torque, not horsepower. And that’s where the SEA product also excels. The instant torque of the electric motor means the EV doesn’t need a transmission, keeping cost, complexity and servicing costs down.

And after a quick ride-along in the SEA product with some experienced truck drivers, the broad consensus was that performance of the electric trucks is bang on the money. Typical power and torque figures are 108kW and 1000Nm to 125kW and 1500Nm. And that’s before we get to the reduced risk of hearing loss and lower stress levels thanks to the relative silence of the eTruck experience.

THE COSTS
The elephant in the room, of course is the purchase price. Although payload and tare weights are not radically different, the SEA trucks are about 2.5 times more expensive to buy. So, for a conventional four-tonne truck costing $50,000, the SEA equivalent will be closer to $125,000.

But with that higher purchase price comes plenty of cost-saving potential, too.

Maintenance on an electric truck is much lower than for a conventional unit. The electric motor has no gearbox and is a simple, one-moving-part deal. Crucially, the maintenance that is required involves no oil apart form a differential oil-change about every 100,000km. Even the eTruck’s ability to regenerate power when slowing means that the vehicle’s brake rotors, drums and linings last a lot longer. In fact, at least twice as long according to SEA’s test drivers.

Battery packs are designed to last at least a decade and SEA Electric offers a three-year/150,000km warranty as well as a five-year battery warranty and three years of roadside assistance. The company even has a training program for first responders who need to be able to effectively deal with an eTruck that’s been involved in a crash.

THE FUTURE
According to SEA Electric president of Asia Pacific Bill Gillespie, there will be big growth in the electric-truck market in Australia across the rest of 2022 and into 2023.

“But at the moment, there’s no Federal or State Government support for zero-emission trucks,” he told Carsguide.

SEA Electric is one company that is lobbying for better support for this growing market segment, and Mr Gillespie is certain that “If the government gets behind electric trucks, finance companies will get behind it too”.

“Companies and government bodies now need to – and want to – go electric. Shareholders want it, management wants it and customers want it…”

It’s pretty easy to see that the move to electric medium and light trucks isn’t something that can be avoided. But it’s also great to see manufacturing returning to Australia in the transport industry. Of course, sentimentality has nothing to do with the success of a brand like SEA Electric, but based on the hard numbers, you can expect to see more eTrucks emptying garbage bins, delivering online shopping and maintaining parks and gardens. Even if you won’t hear them.

Continue reading the full article at CarsGuide by David Morely published on April 12, 2022.

The global leader in e-Mobility technology, SEA Electric, continues the push into the zero-emissions school bus space with the piloting of a Blue Bird Type C school bus powered by a SEA-Drive(R) 120b power-system.

The pure battery-electric Type C model can accommodate up to 84 passengers, offering school bus fleets with market-leading performance and value for money.

The technology underpinning the platform has been proven with more than 1.5 million miles of real-world telematics data, demonstrating SEA Electric to be a dependable business partner.

“More and more, schools are looking to the future with zero emissions school bus technology, reducing their carbon footprint while enhancing the air quality around their campuses and local areas,” said Mike Menyhart, SEA Electric’s President for the Americas and Chief Strategy Officer.

“In the history of SEA Electric, we have already seen an incredible movement to switch to electric school bus technology, and we are proud to service the marketplace with the most cost-effective all-electric power system in the world.”

“Outside of the sustainability factors, SEA Electric’s systems provide lower maintenance and ongoing operating costs, with fuel eliminated and fewer moving parts lowering service expenses and downtime.”

“Also, our unique battery technology, without the need for active thermal management and with mid-mounted batteries optimizing safety and operating costs.”

“Through the SEA Type C EV, schools across North America can take the step into the future, today.”

At the heart of the model is the SEA-Drive(R) 120b power-system, which has found favor in a wide range of commercial vehicle applications across the globe.

With a maximum power of 335hp and peak torque of 1,845lb-ft, the package has range of up to 150 miles between charges, more than enough for even the most demanding school bus route.

“After driving this pilot vehicle myself and comparing to a diesel equivalent driven the same day, it became abundantly clear that this transition must occur in scale and soon,” CEO and Founder of SEA Electric, Tony Fairweather said.

“With the ability to sell at a new Type C EV price of less than $200,000 per vehicle there is no excuse for fleets to not consider EV for any and all future purchases,” Fairweather continues.

“No need for incentives to justify this premium. The TCO provides the business case itself.”

The battery solution has a 138kWh capacity and a projected life cycle of more than 10 years, at which time it is envisioned that the cells would be repurposed for continued use.

Standard charging through the integrated onboard charger can be provided through Level 2, Single Phase (208/240 VAC) up to 19.2kW, while optional fast charging is achieved via standard CCS Type 1, Level 3, DC fast charging, at a rate of up to 100 kW.

Notably, the system is also Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capable, paving the way for future power grid security and revenue opportunities.

Supporting all SEA Electric products is a five-year battery warranty, with systems also backed by a three year or 50,000 mile warranty.

Read the full article at Yahoo! News published on March 14, 2022.

An extra $127.9 million will be available to support the integration of electric vehicle technologies into both light and heavy vehicle fleets.

That’s the latest announcement around the Australian Federal Government’s Future Fuels and Vehicles Strategy from industry, energy and emissions reductions minister Angus Taylor while visiting SEA Electric’s Melbourne manufacturing facility.

The Australian electric truck manufacturer says it supports the Federal Government’s latest funding program for future fuel technologies for businesses.

The program will be managed by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), with the support also extending to the commercialisation of hydrogen as a transport fuel in fleets.

From SEA Electric’s perspective, government assistance to industry is essential in aiding the transition to EV technology, and subsequently for the country to achieve its net-zero carbon emissions goals.

“We commend minister Taylor and the Government for making this announcement,” SEA Electric Asia Pacific Region president Bill Gillespie says.

“Around the world, government assistance with regards to transitioning fleets to future fuels has been imperative to ensure the early uptake of the technology.

“Australia’s road freight sector accounts for 38% of the country’s total transport emissions, so political policy related to the conversion in this area to zero-emissions technology should be a priority,” he explains.

“Here at SEA Electric, we provide to the market a suite of solutions that are currently available, with credentials proven by millions of kilometres of real-world data.

“Best of all, with the manufacturing of these trucks taking place right here in Australia, we are keeping jobs on these shores.”

Founded in Australia in 2012, SEA Electric now features a global footprint including a New Zealand presence, with products deployed on five continents.

Read the full article at Auto Talk published on February 21, 2022.

Repowering 10,000 school buses & transitioning the nation’s 500,000 yellow school buses from diesel to electric presents some daunting math. Currently 95% run on diesel, 4% on propane, and less than 1% are electric.

If we started replacing each of the 35,000 diesel buses that turnover annually with an electric bus today, it would still take 15 years to transition the whole fleet. But because a new electric bus currently costs two-to-three times as much as a diesel one, only 1-2% of new buses come off the line with a plug and our timeline for full electrification stretches far into the future.

At the end of 2021, some big news provided hope for a new approach: instead of replacing an diesel school bus with a brand-new electric bus, the idea of converting some portion of existing bus fleet to electric power took off.

“It’s impossible to convert school bus fleets to electric with just new replacements,” says Tony Fairweather, CEO of SEA Electric. He believes that to get to an entire fleet of electric school buses anytime soon, we’ll need to convert 50% of existing diesel buses to run on clean electrons. SEA Electric and Midwest Transit Equipment (MTE) recently announced a plan to do just that and convert 10,000 diesel school buses to electric. If successful, this partnership could pioneer a mass scale repowering model where existing school buses get converted to electric for a fraction of the cost of a new electric school bus.

Over the past couple of years, diesel to electric retrofits (aka “repowers”) have demonstrated the potential to rapidly and cost-effectively electrify fleets. New York City’s first electric school buses were repowered, and companies like UES, Lightning E-motors, Bison EV, and Legacy EV have been laying the groundwork for retrofitting internal combustion engine vehicles for some time. But the MTE/SEA Electric deal will electrify buses on a whole new scale. It will take a trickle of repower projects and open the floodgates to deploying electric school buses in the thousands.

SEA Electric is based in Australia and has been converting a variety of fleet vehicles — from garbage trucks in New Zealand, to box trucks in Iowa — to electric since 2014. Fairweather notes how starting in a country like Australia, which has no incentives for electric vehicles, forced SEA Electric to be cutting edge and price-competitive to stay alive.

The company doesn’t make batteries or motors, but instead organizes a kit (machinery combined with a patented software) and engineers a conversion process. SEA Electric will apply its repowering kits to school buses for the first time as part of this deal. MTE will ship the buses (with internal combustion engines already removed) to certified “outfitters” in Indiana, North Carolina, and Minnesota who have assembly lines to complete the repowers. These former diesel school buses will receive new drivetrains, 138 kWh batteries, and come off the line as next-to-new electric buses. All of this for a price well under $100,000 — which is about a quarter of the cost of a new electric school bus. And unlike virtually every other purchased electric school bus, this deal also won’t require any incentives.

Based in Illinois, MTE is a large (its website says the biggest in the nation) distributor of buses. with over 400 employees — it sells and leases thousands of new/used school buses every year. MTE’s short term school bus leases typically last between one-to-four years and then the company takes the buses back for refurbishment. It’s at this point that SEA Electric will repower the vehicles.

Electrifying buses at this scale presents an important opportunity for reducing costs. Instead of having to build relationships with the 13,000 school districts across the country, repower manufacturers like SEA Electric can achieve a large scale of conversions by partnering with just a company like MTE. The large scale of conversions with MTE school buses is a reason SEA Electric can electrify a school bus for a quarter of the cost of a new electric bus.

SEA Electric and MTE plan to repower 400 buses in the first year of this five-year contract. If all goes well, the remaining 9,600 would be back-loaded to the final four years of the agreement. Even 400 repowered electric buses increases the number of electric buses currently on the road by 50%. The first repowered electric buses are scheduled to start rolling off the line this spring.

If both companies are successful and prove the model of price competitive, and repowering of diesel to electric school buses can conducted through dealerships, it could radically alter the trajectory that previously pushed school bus electrification too far into the future.

Read the full article at Clean Technica published on February 16, 2022.