The electrification of heavy vehicles a growing alternative

In a promising move to the future, New Zealand’s first two battery-powered Scania trucks have hit the road in South Auckland – paving the way for other large transport companies to follow suit.

Reliance Transport – a specialist last-mile cartage firm – have taken the first step to reducing fuel costs and its carbon footprint, introducing the two Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) following a successful trial in October last year.

The family business has been around for more than 60 years, with Director Mark Darrah now turning his attention to sustainable business practices for the next 60 years – a longterm view and focus that he says certainly motivated the purchase of the BEVs.

“I’ve made a few trips to Europe, China and the USA investigating alternative fuel and sustainable transport options, and the Scania BEVs suited our needs the best,” Mr Darrah said. “We certainly intend on adding more to the fleet as resources permit.”

Scania originally revealed the first generation, 29 (GCW) tonne BEVs in June 2022, and since then they have been undergoing livery and road readiness prep for use by Reliance Transport.

The vehicle’s suitability for short- to mediumhaul journeys – each with a range of up to 180 kilometres – made them an ideal acquisition for the Reliance fleet. They are used exclusively for transporting last-mile freight in the Auckland metropolitan area, carting containers and steel products around the city’s port and freight networks.

The BEVs were co-funded by the Government’s Low Emission Transport Fund which is administered by EECA (Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority) –the Government agency responsible for encouraging sustainable energy use in New Zealand.

Commenting on the new additions, EECA Transport Portfolio Manager Camilla Cochrane said it was pleasing to see another pair of electric trucks take to the road.

“Heavy transport has an outsized impact on the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, and we’ve seen the electrification of heavy vehicles come along in leaps and bounds in a very short space of time,” she said. “With two more electric trucks now in action, it shows there are a growing number of solutions available.”

In fact, another company leading the way in this space is NZ Post – already operating light electric trucks (eCanter), more than 400 Paxters and the country’s first-ever hydrogenfuelled truck. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg, with NZ Post clearly committed to implementing sustainable practices and doing their best to reduce emissions, wherever possible.

In July last year, NZ Post received its first shipment of 22 new-all electric MercedesBenz eVito panel vans – the initial delivery of 60 such vehicles on order. At the time of order, this represented the largest single overseas order of electric Mercedes-Benz vans by a commercial operator – a $20 million joint initiative with New Zealand Green Investment Finance, with each party contributing $10 million.

“Sustainability is embedded in our culture at NZ Post, and this is just another way we’re showing we are committed to our people, our communities and delivering for our planet,” NZ Post Group Sustainability Manager Dawn Baggaley says.

“Transport is one of the largest sources of emissions in Aotearoa at 17 per cent – and we

(NZ Post) are playing our part to help meet our national reduction plans.”

Adding to their vision, NZ Post has also introduced the eCanter truck – quietly doing the rounds between Albany and Silverdale north of Auckland since June 2022. The cost to drive the eCanter truck for a year is 81 per cent lower compared to diesel vans, while carbon emissions are also lowered by a staggering 85 per cent.

The eCanter trial project also includes a charger infrastructure (a 60 kW, 25 kW & 7.2 kW charger) and the ongoing monitoring process was co-funded through EECA, which provided $239,948. The total cost of the pilot is $479,896.

The charger can boost two EVs simultaneously. The eCanter, which replaces the equivalent of two to three diesel vans, does about 180km daily, mainly between NZ Post’s Albany and Silverdale depots. It can finish the day with anywhere between 20 per cent and 40 per cent of battery charge remaining.

“It’s a milestone to celebrate at a time when climate change is impacting our communities,” says Mr Baggaley. “It’s a matter of urgency that we do everything we can to reduce emissions, and we are also seeking to assist our delivery partners in shifting to low carbon delivery.”

Looking ahead, NZ Post aims to have its own fleet and a quarter of its last-mile delivery contractor fleet electric by 2025, with the balance of the contractor fleet making the transition by 2030.

New Zealand’s largest electric heavy vehicle (an Isuzu truck featuring Sea Electric technology) was first employed by ContainerCo in 2019 to move containers between port