12 minute read
Special Report
Together in electric dreams
THE ELECTRIFICATION OF COMMERCIAL VEHICLES IN AUSTRALIA IS FINALLY GAINING MOMENTUM.
Corporate responsibility is a key driver for the rollout of all-electric commercial vehicles. It certainly is for national courier, Australia Post, which in November last year, welcomed the first of 20 electric trucks into its fleet. The remaining 17 trucks on order should hit the streets, delivering in major capital cities, from early 2022. The rollout of the new vehicles will be supported by Australia Post Fleet Management Provider SG Fleet. Australia Post has an existing delivery fleet of over 2,100 electric delivery vehicles and 1400 electric bicycles. The introduction of Fuso eCanters is reported to follow a successful trial of the Daimler developed truck in late 2019. Australia Post General Manager Networks, James Dixon, said the addition of the Fuso eCanter to Australia Post’s delivery fleet was an exciting step for the organisation. “We’re very proud to be Australia’s largest electric fleet operator, but up until this point, our electric fleet has consisted solely of smaller delivery vehicles that are used for the last mile,” he said. “We’ve trialled a range of electric trucks previously, but the Fuso eCanter is the first we’ve found that suits both Australian conditions and our unique operational needs,” said Dixon. Australia Post Chief Sustainability Officer, Susan Mizrahi, said expanding the current electric fleet was an important part of the Australia Post’s 2020-22 Corporate Responsibility plan and its science-based target to reduce emission by 15 per cent by 2025. “This is an important milestone for our business,” said Mizrahi. “We know that every delivery has a carbon footprint which is why we’re committed to reducing our emissions through growing our electric fleet and increasing our renewable energy production to help power these new vehicles.” The Fuso eCanter is reported to be the only Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) electric truck available in Australia and uses the latest technology from the Daimler Truck group. Daniel Whitehead, President and CEO of
Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific, said Australia Post was the perfect first Australian customer for the eCanter. “Daimler is thrilled to partner with such an iconic brand as Australia Post on a journey towards carbon neutral freight transportation in Australia,” he said. Is it inevitable for other fleets to follow suit when it comes to the acquisition of dieselalternative-powered trucks? For Mining Resources, a prominent mining company, it took delivery of a SEA 300-85 from global e-mobility technology company, SEA Electric, last October. This was celebrated by the manufacturer as a win, the first Australian produced all-electric truck to leave its production line. The vehicle currently travels along the Western Australia road network. Constructed from a Semi Knocked Down (SKD) kit at SEA Electric’s Melbourne facility, the truck was finished with the latest SEA Electric badging and branding, complete with its own compliance plate and full factory warranty. Rated to 8.5-tonnes, the SEA 300-85 is specified with a 138kWh battery driving a 1,500Nm motor, which lends itself to a variety of final applications, including dry freight, temperature-controlled freight, as an elevated working platform or a tipper for municipal use in a range of trims. Unladen, the combination has a potential range of up to 300km. For Mineral Resources, the addition of an all-electric truck to its vehicle fleet is a strong demonstration of the company’s commitment to net-zero emissions. The company’s Chief Executive of Mining Services, Mike Grey, said the firm is committed to a low-carbon future and is working to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. “Our mission is to grow our mining services and operations responsibly and across our business,” he said. “We are finding ways to reduce our carbon emissions through improving fuel efficiency and optimising our logistics – transport offers us a great opportunity in this regard.” Since 2017, SEA Electric has been performing driveline swaps on existing internal combustion engine powered trucks, which has perfected the technology, including the patented SEA-Drive Power System. The move to construct from new on a production line by SEA Electric sees the process become much more efficient, with the trucks prepared quicker, cheaper and with less waste. It is also noteworthy that SEA Electric is currently replicating the production techniques developed locally in Australia for other markets worldwide. The SEA 300-85 is just one example of the first full range of pure-electric trucks available globally, with options covering from 4.5-tonne car licence through to 22.5-tonne three-axle rigids. Developments overseas may in time take root in our domestic market. Hydrogen and electric commercial vehicle
maker, Giga Carbon Neutrality (GCN), is set to launch a comprehensive range of vehicles that it plans to bring to market over the next two years. GCN will launch 21 different battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell powered vehicles by the end of 2023, the Chinese company said in a statement. The portfolio is configurable to a wide range of commercial use cases and includes a tractor unit, buses and last mile logistics vehicles. At present, the company’s first prototype hydrogen-fuelled tractor unit is undergoing advanced road and usability trials in China. GCN designs its vehicles at a state-of-the-art research and development centre located in Hangzhou, China.nIts international headquarters are located in London. It is understood GCN has developed its own proprietary hydrogen fuel-cell technology and will initially source batteries from leading manufacturers. The GCN vehicles are manufactured using lightweight stainless steel and composite materials to improve safety and deliver reductions in weight and energy consumption of at least ten per cent. The bodies of GCN vehicles are designed to last for 20 years, significantly longer than vehicles from other providers on the market the manufacturer claimed. GCN is working with public and private sector partners to provide clean energy storage, charging and refuelling infrastructure, as well as specialist financing to support the adoption of what it refers to as its zero-emission commercial vehicles globally. “We are thrilled to give the world its first look at the future of zero-emission commercial transportation,” said Giga Carbon Neutrality CEO, Marty Wade. “GCN is enabling a carbon-neutral future for some of the world’s most energyintensive industries, with clean energy vehicles, new technologies and a fuelling ecosystem to make running clean, reliable vehicle fleets easy for commercial transportation companies.” The company’s initial range includes a 44-tonne rated hydrogen fuel-cell truck with a top speed of 90 kph and 580 km range before refuelling; a 12-metre transit bus for urban public transport capable of carrying up to 95 passengers; the 6.9 metre GCN Pure Electric Minibus with an ultralong wheelbase and flat floor structure to provide capacity for up to 13 passengers; and an 8-tonne battery-electric truck to support last mile logistics in urban and rural areas currently known as the GCN Electric Logistics Vehicle. Partners of GCN include Silk Road Group, Chasun, China Union Pay, UMS Express and State-owned automobile company Chery. Australia’s trucking industry is proving to be as dynamic as ever with a variety of new vehicles set to enter the market in the near future. Following the uptake of battery electric vehicles across a range of sectors it makes sense that workshops across the country will be exploring opportunities to
upskill personnel and maintain pace with electrification trends. Last year, TAFE Queensland opened a Heavy Plant Centre of Excellence to provide industry relevant electronic and battery operated vehicles and machinery training in response to these emerging technologies. TAFE Queensland Heavy Vehicle Industries Business Manager, Geoff Tillett, said the training provider is pioneering to deliver the training that industry needs to service and repair hybrid electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles and machinery entering Australia at an increasing volume. “As a result of this increase comes the risk of having unskilled and unqualified people within this industry working on high voltage and high amperage battery electric vehicles,” said Tillett. “The skills and knowledge learnt at our new Heavy Plant Centre of Excellence will be essential to complete work on electronic and battery-operated vehicles and machinery to the highest safety and service standards. “TAFE Queensland aims to ensure industry is safe when it comes to working on new electronic and battery-operated vehicles and machinery and to ensure our employers and apprentices have both the current and contextualised training they require.” Tillett said TAFE Queensland has been providing industry standard training across the hybrid electronic light vehicles sector for over a decade. “The new training facility will enable training to now extend further to support heavy commercial vehicles, mobile plant technology, civil construction, mining, transport and logistics sectors,” he said. “The centre will also offer specialised training on electronic propulsion and integrated hydraulic systems in mobile plant and road transport as well as the high-end diagnostic capabilities that are going be required well into the future.” As TAFE Queensland expands its capabilities to support the electronic and batteryoperated vehicles and machinery sector, partnerships have already been formed with key industry organisations to ensure all training remains consistent and up to date as new technologies continue to evolve. One of these partners, global aftermarket parts and automotive supplies provider, DANA Australia will work with TAFE Queensland to supply ongoing resources, training and support. The company has already made plans to provide two sets of Dana TM4 SUMO motors and CO150 inverters, which are used on the Sandvik Artisan A18 battery-electric loader. Dana Australia Managing Director, Nick Stavrakis, said the company is pleased to have the opportunity to partner with TAFE Queensland to customise training to meet the unique needs of these important future career paths. “Dana offers a full suite of electrified technologies for off-highway equipment and we understand that the technicians of the future will require training to ensure they can safely manage the maintenance activities for these vehicles,” he said. A featured course delivered from the new facility is the Safely Depower and Reinitialise Hybrid Vehicle Skill Set (SSAUR001). The course is designed to provide updated electronic and battery electric vehicles skills relevant across the light automotive, heavy commercial vehicles, mobile plant technology, civil construction, mining and transport and logistics industries. The skill set provides existing workers key skills including the main components of hybrid battery electrics vehicles, how to safely isolate high voltage (HV) rechargeable energy storage systems (RESS), and how to reinitialise energy storage systems and safely reinitialise a hybrid electric vehicle.
ARTSA-i Data analytics Heavy vehicle market report – December quarter (Q4) 2021 “A year of 20% plus growth”
ARTSA reviews Q4 2021 heavy New registration quarterly analysis vehicle market report The 2021 year finished with a bang. Record new registrations across the board, with trailers exceeding 4000 new units registered for the quarter and prime movers just over 2000 units. Anecdotal evidence supported this outcome, and it seems that only COVID-related supply chain issues are restraining further growth for now. Rigid vehicles are also close to an all-time high of ARTSA-I DATA ANALYTICS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ROB PERKINS, just under 5000 units. The drivers of this growth can be partly explained by investment CONFIRMS 2021 FINISHED WITH A BANG FROM THE PERSPECTIVE allowances but there must be other factors at work as well to deliver this level of re-investment OF NEW REGISTRATION QUARTERLY ANALYSIS. in the heavy vehicle fleet. Record harvests are also contributing strongly to demand.
5000 4500 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0
New registration quarterly analysis - 4 quarters of 2021
Heavy Prime movers Heavy Trailers Med and Heavy Rigids Heavy Buses Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Median age of the fleet and fleet growth
Stepping back from quarterly and annual new registrations, it is worth analysing the median age of the heavy vehicle fleet. Total fleet numbers (as opposed to new registrations) are growing around 3 to 4.5% per annum. This lower growth accounts for retirements as well as the new registrations. The net result is that new registrations are barely shifting the long term (and quite old on a world scale) median age of the heavy vehicle fleet.
20 15 10 5 0
Median age - at end of year
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Heavy Prime movers Heavy Trailers Heavy Rigids Medium Rigids
Source: Analysis by ARTSA-i Data analytics of NEVDIS registration data.
The reported record new registrations across the board with trailers exceeding 4,000 new units registered for Q4 2021 and prime movers just over 2,000 units. “Anecdotal evidence supported this outcome, and it seems that only Covidrelated supply chain issues are restraining further growth for now,” said Perkins. “Rigid vehicles are also close to an all-time high of just under 5,000 units. The drivers of this growth can be partly explained by investment allowances but there must be other factors at work as well to deliver this level of re-investment in the heavy vehicle fleet. Record harvests are also contributing strongly to demand.” All categories shared in this growth except for heavy buses which remained flat. “When looked at on an annual basis, the graph below shows the 20-plus per cent growth in new registrations in the last 12 months,” said Perkins. “The question for the market is one of whether this growth will continue. Traditionally the first and second quarters of the year are quieter in terms of new registrations, yet the strong demand might just show them to also break records.” Perkins also reviewed median age of the fleet and fleet growth. “Stepping back from quarterly and annual new registrations, it is worth analysing the median age of the heavy vehicle fleet,” he said. “Total fleet numbers (as opposed to new registrations) are growing around 3.0 to 4.5 per cent per annum. This lower growth
Further information accounts for retirements as well as the new registrations. The net result is that new ARTSA-i Data analytics can supply a range of custom reports that provide considerable detail by registrations are barely shifting the long term (and quite old on a world scale) median age manufacturer, but can also be analysed by State, by year and other variables such as registration of the heavy vehicle fleet.”category, VIN (for OEM VIN owners), postcode, age and more. ARTSA-i Data analytics can supply a range For more information on the data that can be purchased contact the ARTSA-i Data analytics Executive Director, Rob Perkins on rob@artsa.com.au of custom reports that provide considerable or phone +61 411 402 832 detail by manufacturer, but can also be analysed by state, by year and other variables This report is available on www.artsa.com.au such as registration category, VIN (for OEM and remains copyright to the ARTSA Institute (ARTSA-i). Data from this report can VIN owners), postcode, age and more.be used and quoted for industry analysis but its source must be attributed to ARTSA-i. For more information on the data that can be purchased contact: rob@artsa.com.au or phone +61 411 402 832.
