Australian electric truck operations are a reality in Melbourne suburbs, WM Waste Management Services has revealed.

effort sees WM using a SuperiorPak-bodied, SEA Electric propelled, Iveco ACCO-based hard-waste trucks to collect hard rubbish in the City of Casey in Melbourne’s south-east. READ MORE

The City of Casey’s recycling of hard-waste is becoming carbon neutral with several new electric trucks joining the fleet at WM Waste Management as part of a new waste contract.

The trucks are powered solely by battery power and have a charge of up to five hours before needing to be recharged. READ MORE

AS THE heavy vehicle industry inevitably moves towards modes of power production beyond diesel, the appearance of electric trucks has shown that it is possible to move forward without the use of fossil fuels.
SEA Electric is one company that is at the forefront of electric power generation, producing technology that can be applied to use in commercial vehicles.
Working with OEM manufacturers and also directly with operators, SEA Electric has the ability to see what is possible in the EV market, and how it can help Australia catch up to the rest of the world in electric vehicle development.
SEA Electric at heart is a third party power systems supplier, no different to say Cummins or Detroit Diesel.
The firm sells power generation systems, but does not produce the trucks themselves that they power.
SEA Electric sells the complete means to replace the diesel power system in a truck, ranging from three tonne trucks right up to 23.5 tonne vehicles.
Specialising in metro applications, SEA Electric will showcase this with a Hino garbage collection vehicle and Isuzu empty container carrying vehicle to be on display on their stand, as well as the Isuzu FSR tilt tray at the Isuzu stand.
“As we see it, in three to five years from now OEM manufacturers will have eliminated light to medium duty diesel trucks from their model ranges,” group managing director Tony Fairweather said.
“Electric trucks to travel interstate will take longer to bring about, that requires more development and the price of batteries to come down even more. Our specialty is metropolitan applications though, so we focus on the light to medium duty market.”
Tony believes that OEM vehicle suppliers will have to turn around their businesses 180 degrees to accommodate the sale and service of electric trucks.
“There are two key aspects they will have to undertake. One is to downsize diesel engine production, the second is to change the dealership layout in order to work with the reduced service and spare parts requirements with the use of electric power systems.”
As it stands SEA Electric offers seven power system options, two to suit van platforms and the other five to power trucks from car licence right up to garbage truck applications.
One of the bugbears of electric power systems have been the price of batteries, for replacement when they wear out.
Battery pricing has been gradually reducing as more technology, and supply demands push the cost of batteries ever lower.
From 2010, the price of $1200USD per kWh has come down to $200USD per kWh, with Tony Fairweather talking of a forecast of below $100USD per kWh within the next twelve months.
The density of batteries has increased significantly as well, with the ability to get more power out of smaller battery packs allowing for higher range.
To get a glimpse of one possible trucking future, stop in at the SEA Electric stand 055, near the main entrance of the Brisbane Convention Centre. READ MORE

Cleanaway has marked a turning point in the company’s history, as it welcomes the first of two fully electric collections vehicles which form part of a three-month trial.

CEO and Managing Director, Vik Bansal said “this is an exciting step forward for our business as we continue to work toward our mission of making a sustainable future possible. With almost 5,000 vehicles on the road each day servicing homes and businesses all over Australia, we are looking for ways to do that more sustainably.”

Despite excitement about the first of a new generation of waste collection vehicles, the ability to deliver a consistent and reliable service remains a core focus.

“It’s important that we continue to deliver a consistent service each day to the households and businesses who rely on us. Sustainability is about more than removing emissions at all costs. If service levels drop or waste collection costs increase significantly for ratepayers – that isn’t sustainable.” Bansal said.

The two fully operational vehicles are among the first in Australia to be servicing kerbside collections, which means they’ll be under pressure to carry full loads and complete scheduled runs every day. “Cleanaway is optimistic about proving the reliability of the technology” said Paul Young, Cleanaway’s Head of Fleet. “The trial is designed to encourage fast learning so that the electric vehicles can continue operating once the trial has ended, allowing Cleanaway to introduce more electric and combination fuel vehicles to the permanent fleet.”

With zero emissions, the vehicles are expected to run for 180-200 kilometres before needing to recharge. The brakes also regenerate – reducing repair and maintenance costs, and the consumption of other parts like brake pads.

The vehicles will also significantly reduce noise which makes early morning or late-night collections possible for some waste streams, such as green waste, which could reduce the impact for other road users in highly congested areas. READ MORE

MEDIA RELEASE

3 May, 2019

SEA Electric appoint Regional Director for Australia and New Zealand

Experienced commercial vehicle executive, Mark Cameron, has been appointed to the newly created position of Regional Director – Australia and New Zealand, at leading automotive electric technology company, SEA Electric.

Mr Cameron will assist the company manage its fast growth in the local market, while also helping to capitalise on emerging opportunities for its proprietary van and minibus products along with OEM partnerships.

Prior to joining SEA Electric, Mr Cameron held senior positions with Scania in Asia, Africa Europe and Australia, including as Scania Regional Director for South Malaysia and Singapore and Managing Director for Tanzania.

Mr Cameron has also worked as an executive leadership, general management and strategy development consultant, and has been a senior board member of several Chamber of Commerce groups in Singapore.

In commenting on the appointment, SEA Electric Group Managing Director, Tony Fairweather, said that with his extensive background in the commercial vehicle industry and broad company representative experience, Mark was an ideal choice for the important role.

“Having worked in the commercial vehicle industry with a leading European truck manufacturer across four continents, Mark will draw on considerable global experience to help guide our Australian and New Zealand operations,” Mr Fairweather said.

“Mark has also filled senior representative roles on boards and committees so is well versed on the consultative process needed with both private and government stakeholders to advance the business.”

Mr Cameron said he was excited to join SEA Electric and was focused on assisting the company execute its local goals.

“I’ve joined SEA Electric at a very exciting time,” he said.

“We’ve become the electric drivetrain supplier of choice for many of the region’s leading truck brands while interest in our own van and minibus ranges has dramatically increased following last year’s announcement of our new LaTrobe Valley facility which is on track for completion in around 2021.

“SEA Electric currently has an electric solution for vehicles from 4 to 24 tonne GVM, but the rapid improvement in battery performance and increasingly affordability of the technology mean that new opportunities are arising with each passing day.

“With an electrical engineering background, I feel that after so long working with diesel and alternate fuels, I’ve now come full circle with this appointment – I’m pleased to be involved in a company that is helping to reduce carbon emissions and create a sustainable transport future  for the next generation.”

For further information, please contact:

Tony Fairweather, Group Managing Director – SEA Electric

T: +61 3 9706 8489

M: +61 (0)416 162 356

E: tony@sea-electric.com

About SEA Electric

SEA Electric is an Australian automotive technology company that locally develops and assembles 100 per cent electric-powered vans, commuter buses and light/medium duty rigid truck models using its proprietary SEA-Drive® power-systems.  Additionally, the company also works closely with a selection of leading Australian truck brands to engineer and install SEA Electric power-systems to their models.  SEA Electric operates from a facility in Melbourne with plans underway for a large-scale assembly facility in the Latrobe Valley in regional Victoria. SEA Electric appoint Regional Director for Australia and New Zealand

SEA Electric was recently mentioned in the DRIVEN article written and published by Bridie Schmidt. Due to positive feedback from SEA Electric’s presence at the ACT Expo and at the Work Truck Show in the US, SEA Electric has been presented with several exciting opportunities. Read the full article The Driven

• Bridie Schmidt

LONG BEACH, Calif. — The beginning of the end is here for the internal-combustion truck engine, said Roger Nielsen, CEO of Daimler Trucks North America, the largest truck manufacturer on the continent.

And the replacement for diesel-run trucks will be electric vehicles, Nielsen declared. Not trucks run by natural gas or hydrogen fuel cells or a hybrid of diesel and electric, he said.

“I believe the future is electric,” Nielsen said. “The road to emissions-free driving will be driven by battery-electric vehicles.”

Nielsen said Daimler is aggressively planning for a future of totally electric trucks and buses.

“For trucks, I do not believe in plug-in hybrids,” he said. “For trucks, I believe that natural gas-powered engines are only an interim solution. For trucks, fuel cells as a range extender on battery-electric vehicles have promise, but hydrogen fuel cells alone are not yet viable.”

Nielsen made his proclamations at the annual Advanced Clean Transportation Expo, held this year at the Long Beach Convention Center, on April 24. The expo is a gathering of officials who promote the latest in green tech, sustainable methods and environmental policies that affect the carrier and bus industries.

It was all the more radical a declaration given that Daimler Trucks supplies 52% of the trucks operated by the top 100 fleets in North America, a statistic Nielsen relayed to an audience of more than 500 during the event’s keynote speech.

Nielsen said his conclusion about the trucking industry’s more eco-friendly future was all the more odd given Daimler Trucks is an older company, founded in 1896. Daimler Truck brands are stamped on 750,000 trucks on the continent.

“We’re the old guy who is often accused of yelling epithets at the young startups who dare to cross our lawn,” Nielsen said. “I have been building trucks since I was 25 years old.”

But Nielsen said he is deluged by questions from customers who want to know more about electric trucks, powered by batteries or hydrogen fuel cells. Nielsen said his vision does not exclude hydrogen fuel cells, but the cells will not be economically viable soon.

Nielsen’s remarks come two days after Kenworth and Toyota unveiled 10 trucks powered by hydrogen fuel cells April 22. The trucks will service the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, going on short runs and helping to reduce emissions in a region where smog and pollution dissipate more slowly.

The Kenworth-Toyota partnership came with some subsidy — a $41 million Zero and Near-Zero Emissions Freight Facilities grant awarded by the California Air Resources Board.

Nielsen said such subsidies will be needed to help make the transition to electric trucks. One of the reasons is the bulky nature of batteries for all-electric trucks.

“Unfortunately, there is no business case today for a sane and sober customer to buy a battery-electric truck,” he said. “Yes … it’s stripped of its accouterments of a diesel engine … But the battery packs that we add in? Boy, are they expensive. They’re heavy, and they’re large.” READ MORE

Victorian electric truck drive train producer, SEA Electric has received its first orders from the United States following a successful public debut.

CEO Tony Fairweather said feedback on the company’s products displayed on Ford and Isuzu platforms at the ‘Work Truck Show’ in Indianapolis and ‘Advanced Clean Transportation Expo’ in April had been favourable.

He said in a statement that orders had been received for for the F-59 electric truck, which boasts 150 kW of continuous power and 2500 Nm maximum torque.

Range is 350 kilometres and batteries can be recharged in less than six hours.

He said: “Feedback in the US to our SEA Electric technology has been extremely positive with customers placing orders.”

SEA builds its electric drive train systems at a Melbourne facility.

It is also building a new facility in Victoria’s La Trobe Valley with a capacity to produce up to 2,400 complete vans, light buses and trucks annually.

As reported in @AuManufacturing, assembly of the Ford F-59 ‘Stripped Chassis’ for the US market takes place at a Ford assembly facility in Detroit, with the Isuzu version taking place at a third-party facility.

The company is also developing a Ford Transit van option which will be available mid-2019. READ MORE