The converted T609 is a ‘remarkable truck to drive’

From page 14

IN fact, Fennell is adamant that there is no more fire risk in the electric truck than that of a diesel equivalent.

“The other thing is with the way the batteries are constructed, this isn’t like the [electric] car set-ups.

“If there is any risk the battery monitoring system will shut the battery down.”

There is also an emergency stop button on each side of the cab, and one inside the cab, that can be pushed to completely isolate the system.

“If the driver, or anyone feels the truck needs to be fully isolated, there are those emergency stops straight there which you don’t have on diesel vehicles.”

Fennell has also engaged with all the emergency services from day one: SAPOL, SES, and the SA Country Fire Service to inform them of the technology and give them more of an understanding.

“So, it has been well thought through, and yes, I don’t believe there is any more increased risk in running a normal diesel engine heavy vehicle.”

What also isn’t in doubt for Fennell – and Janus Electric general manager Lex Forsythe – is the way the electric truck performs on some of the toughest terrain you can drive a heavy vehicle in Australia.

“I’ve driven the truck with a load on it and I’m blown away with the performance of it,” Forsyth said.

“It’s phenomenal, the torque and the gear-shift and how the vehicle can hold on in the hills and particularly when you’re running through the forest and you want to just have the regenerative braking as you’re going up and down jump-ups.

“Even taking off in the sand loaded, just having that torque low down just gives the power for the truck to pull away.

“It’s just a remarkable thing to drive.”

Fennell drove the truck with its initial loads and was “very happy” with the way it performed, with the constant torque and regenerative braking being two of the standout features.

“We can’t use exhaust brakes very often in our application because we work in built-up areas, or we work at night around the local community.

“With regenerative braking we can get all those benefits without the noise.”

If there is an obvious early wrinkle for Fennell to overcome it’s the glaring disparity that currently exists between the new technology and the Australian Design Rules.

A prime example of that gap, said Fennell, can be seen in the ADR80/1 legislation which notes you can have 6.5 tonnes on the steer if you have a Euro emission engine but there is no allowance for an electric drivetrain.

Until the red tape catches up, that means the load on the A-trailer of Fennell’s Kenworth B-double is around 5 per cent lighter due to the outdated restrictions.

“The ADRs don’t talk about net zero, which is logically ridiculous,” said Fennell.

“The NHVR and the Department of Transport have been great in stepping through this and they’ve given me a permit, and we have got a permit in there for increased mass to ensure our payload is comparable to a diesel.”

At present the permit allows Fennell to have the truck on the road with 6.5 tonnes on the steer, but is awaiting approval to increase that to 7.1 tonne and the drive to 18.5 tonne to ensure she gets payload compatibility with diesel.

“That just highlights another consideration that has to come into play if they want the heavy vehicle industry to change over.”

Her message to governments is clear: if you want operators to play their part in helping Australia meet the emissions targets, then provide a clearer pathway.

“I had to spend hundreds of thousands on the charging infrastructure because there’s no public infrastructure available.

“These critical elements haven’t been nutted out and hence why trials need to be conducted before the supply chain is asked to buy whole fleets of electric or hydrogen, or whatever alternative fuel to meet customer or government targets.”

Meanwhile, Fennell said she’s excited about having the opportunity to provide operational data that can help other operators take a similar leap.

If it works, then she’ll also covert her remaining five diesel-powered B-doubles working log haulage from forest to mill, and potentially the A-double configuration as battery technology improves. She’ll also look to do the same with her AB-triples and A-doubles doing linehaul work. The high-productivity AB-triples already produce 38 per cent less emissions than a semi-trailer doing the same work.

“I believe in the fact we have to start trialling these things before we start mandating,” said Fennell.

“The heavy vehicle, industry and supply chain is critical to the Australian economy. We’ve proven that over the last few years, and so it’s crucial we get this right.

“You know, this may not be the answer, but we’ve seen time-and-time again things imposed on heavy vehicle industry without industry being able to have buy-in and provide real operational information back about how it could possibly work.”