JAC BE NIMBLE

New Model

CHINESE TRUCK MAKER JAC IS BACK IN AUSTRALIA AFTER A DISASTROUS FIRST TRY A DECADE AGO. THIS TIME HOWEVER IT IS AN ALTOGETHER DIFFERENT PROPOSITION, ESCHEWING TRADITIONAL DIESEL POWER TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST BATTERY ELECTRIC TRUCKS TO BE OFFERED IN AUSTRALIA AND THE FIRST ONE FROM CHINA. WE TOOK ONE FOR A DRIVE TO SEE HOW IT MEASURES UP.

It is fair to say that the last time JAC trucks were sold in Australia the brand neither gained many plaudits or many buyers.

For one of the first, if not the first Chinese truck to be sold in Australia the light duty JACs did not impress with build quality, finish or performance. However that was ten years ago and things have changed dramatically.

Some might be philosophically and morally offended by the stance China has taken on the world stage in recent times and in particular the trade sanctions it has imposed on certain Australian products, but the fact is China is a World player and it is only a matter of time before its automotive products carve out a place in our market.

For those with long memories or who are students of history, the early Japanese offerings attracted similar derision and contempt from the truck cognoscenti in Australia. However the Japanese proved fast learners and the quality improvements, reliability and cost effectiveness led to the position they are in today, where the three leading brands from that country command 50 percent of the Australian truck market, and even more of the car market.

Now, it may be a stretch to imagine Chinese brands could be in a similar position in 20 or 30 years, but the fact is the steep learning curve the Japanese climbed so quickly, is still just as steep and Chinese brands are ascending it at an even faster rate.

The area that Chinese brands are attacking with gusto is zero emission. The World’s most populous nation may not be everyone’s favourite and they may still be massive emitters, but one thing about a control economy is that the government doesn’t offer incentives to manufacturers it offers commands instead.

This writer well remembers the first gen JAC trucks that arrived here in 2011 and just how ordinary they actually were. However a decade on the newest JAC to hit our roads is a very different proposition and instead of having a diesel engine sitting under the cab, there is a bank of batteries and electric motor driving the rear axle.

Back a decade ago the JAC appeared to have a, how can we put it? Perhaps, a ‘faux’ Isuzu cab design, some might be so unkind to say it was a copy. We understand there may have been some sort of licencing agreement. But the look was about the only similarity between them. Quality and finish were not shared features.

The latest JAC, is now distributed by Brisbane based BLK Auto, the local distributor of BLK buses, headed up by the man who was the original pioneer of JAC ten years ago, Jason Pecotic.

Pecotic reckons the JAC brand has evolved dramatically in that time, and when we spoke with him on the small stand they had at the Brisbane Truck Show, he was insistent that we try the ‘new’ electric JAC.

The truck still bears a passing resemblance to newer Isuzus, but let’s face

it there are only so many ways you can cut the look of a white, light duty truck cabin.

Climb into the cabin and the layout is purposeful and workmanlike. There is nothing fancy about it. This is a pragmatic and basic truck cab that has been designed to do a job and do it with a degree of comfort. The interior is much, much better than its older siblings of ten years ago. The fit and finish is better, the layout is better and the overall ambience is much more confidence inspiring. 1995mm wide cabin provides ample seating space. It has basic vinyl trimming and you really wouldn’t expect anything different , while it also boasts a multifunctional steering wheel and a small 8 inch touchscreen as part of its on-board equipment.

Of course there is no clattering old diesel to start. Just like other electric trucks you turn the key, press the start button and nothing happens, or at least it sounds like nothing happens. However that is the future we will enjoy with the electric

CLIMB INTO THE CABIN AND LAYOUT IS PURPOSEFUL AND WORKMANLIKE.

motor responding on demand when you pull the joystick style selector across and into D for Drive, just to the left of the driver’s seat.

In front of the driver is a simple LED instrument screen with a speedo on the left and a ‘power’ meter on the right, indicating whether you are drawing a lot of power under acceleration or load and how much regenerative charge is being fed back into the batteries under braking or deceleration. It is a neat and well designed screen that also show how much charge remains in the batteries, an estimate of the truck’s range in kilometres, a gear indicator to show if the truck is in drive, reverse, neutral or park and a digital speed indicator.

In the middle of the dash is the eightinch LED Infotainment touch screen showing audio options, phone connection, Bluetooth options, etc. All relatively ease to use and operate and a big step up from previous JACs.

We only had a day to sample the JAC EV55, to give the truck its proper model nomenclature, so we mapped out a route to the north and west of the rambling Wales Bus and Truck operation in Sydney’s Smithfield, where BLK has a representative office.

With the key turned and the systems on, the screens alight in front of us, we selected D and eased away into the street, silently and without any fuss. The indicator showed that the truck had a range of around 200km. That is about 60 km more than the predicted range of Fuso’s eCanter, which we tested last year. However Daimler is far more cautious and conservative than its Chinese counterparts. We believe that in longer term running and in real world conditions the gap maybe a lot less, particularly over time as batteries degrade.

At the moment the electric vehicle situation, is akin to what it was like as the automotive world crawled its way forward from basic single cylinder chuggers of the early 1910s into vehicles that saw performance increase almost

exponentially. All indicators are that electric vehicle performance and the weight, durability, performance and range of their batteries will improve rapidly in the next couple of years.

The JAC is driven by a permanent magnet synchronous motor delivering 130 kW and delivers maximum torque of 1200 Nm.

On the road the JAC EV55 does everything extremely well. It sprints away from standstill even with several hundred kilos of load in the Pantech body. This is the sort of truck the likes of supermarket home delivery services, internet shopping deliveries, in fact any last mile distribution and city logistics providers and for that matter any city or urban based delivery operations will be seeking, as more and more pressure and desire to be seen as a zero emission provider is shouldered by these companies.

Just as MG has taken a price leading position in the car market with the cheapest electric passenger car in Australia, JAC is also betting on the fact that many smaller and even some larger fleets will look to a price leader, rather than a premium product when choosing an electric truck.

It is hard to compare prices for the two OEM protagonists in the light duty truck market, as you can’t actually buy a Fuso eCanter outright, with Daimler Trucks only offering them as a lease proposition. With the eCanter the lease payments vary according to a whole range of factors, from the number you order, to the type of distances and mileage you expect to cover.

BLK Auto does however put a price tag on its JAC EV55 with a tag of $147,500 including a charger but plus on roads and GST for the 4.5 tonne GVM electric powered cab chassis truck. That means it can be driven on a car licence but there is also the ability to have it rated at 5.5 tonnes GVM if necessary.

BLK claims a 1.5 tonne payload capacity (when in the 4.5 tonne GVM model), but running fully laden, will reduce the range, as will less judicious use of the throttle. Given this truck sprints away from a standstill to 50km/h in around 8 seconds there will be plenty of drivers who will give it lots of right foot but may find themselves growing nervous toward the end of their shift when the range drops dramatically.

The truck is equipped with a 96.7kwh capacity Lithium Iron phosphate battery, which the maker says can be charged from empty to 80 per cent charge in around 1.5 hours and can be fully charged in two hours on the high capacity charger.

Driven with some degree of care and good management, the JAC EV55 performs just fine. It easily accelerates up to cruising speed with the same sort of quiet and effortless torque of other electric trucks we have driven. Coupled with the use of the regenerative braking and two stage retardation, operated by a stalk on the steering column, the truck not only accelerates well but also slows and stops efficiently, with the braking process also putting charge back into the batteries.

Throughout our drive the truck felt comfortable and nimble in Sydney’s crowded traffic and shares a lot of similar characteristics and traits with the eCanter.

The steering is nice and direct with little free play or vagueness and the suspension and damping deliver a firm but compliant ride, even on some of Sydney’s rain affected outer suburban roads.

By the time we arrived back at home base the truck had covered just over 100 km and had around 90 km showing as the remaining range, so the quoted 200km was not far from reality.

Will JAC succeed this time with an electric truck? Perhaps, there is certainly not many reasons why the spec, price and performance would not appeal. However there is more to truck buying than just those three factors. Having enough dealers, overcoming the residual belief that Chinese vehicles don’t measure up and just plain uncertainty about JAC as a brand after its last foray to our shores, are all questions buyers will ask.

However with very competitive pricing and a spec that matches other electric trucks in this class, JAC might just convince buyers that it could be worth a chance.