Transport & Trucking Australia May/June

www.truckandbus.net.au Issue 152 2024

$9.50 incl. GST

ELECTRIC AT A CANTER!

FUSO’S IMPRESSIVE NEW GEN ELECTRIC TRUCK ISSN 2206-1495

9

772206 149012

5 2

NEW MERCEDES eACTROS SCT’S SCANIA SUPER FLEET PRIX CAR’S NEW IVECOS LDV eDELIVER 7 ELECTRIC VAN

RE A DY- TO - W O R K N L R T R AY P A C K R A N G E

Playtime’s over, get $3,500 to spend on extras. *

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If you’re ready to get serious about tackling bigger jobs, grab yourself an NLR 45-150 AMT SWB Traypack from the Ready-to-Work range for $62,990† drive away. And to prove we aren’t playing, buy any NLR Traypack before June 30 and you’ll get $3,500* to spend on genuine accessories or a service agreement. So, now’s the time to trade up from your ute. Head to isuzu.com.au or visit your nearest Isuzu Truck Dealer now.

†Offer One: NLR 45-150 AMT SWB Traypack (Promotion Truck) drive away between 1 April 2024 – 30 June 2024. Drive away price of $62,990 for the Promotion Truck includes GST, 12 months registration Non-transferable or redeemable. Fleet and Government purchasers are not eligible. Visit isuzu.com.au for terms and conditions. FSA/ISZS2108

n, government and statutory charges, and dealer delivery costs. *Offer Two: Buy any Ready-to-Work NLR Traypack vehicle and receive $3,500 value for genuine accessories or a service agreement.

CONTACT DETAILS

FEATURES

PO Box 7046 Warringah Mall NSW 2100

14 A CLEAN MEDIUM

www.truckandbus.net.au admin@truckandbus.net.au Enquiries 02 9938 6408 Follow us on Twitter #truckandbusnews Follow us on Facebook at Truck and Bus Australia

Publisher Jon Thomson admin@truckandbus.net.au Editor in Chief Jon Thomson Art Director Fiona Meadows Advertising Sales Jon Thomson Mobile 0418 641 959 admin@truckandbus.net.au Editorial Contributors Barry Flanagan, Mark Bean, Warren Caves, Peter Barnwell and Joel Helmes

Go to any main street in any town or suburb anywhere in Australia any day of the week and there will be trucks rumbling along delivering goods to shops and supermarkets making the areas noisy, polluted and generally unpleasant for anyone using the thoroughfare. That will almost certainly change with a truck like the new Mercedes-Benz eActros. We had the chance to drive the new battery electric Benz recently.

20 ALLIED FORCES

There is barely a nook or cranny across the nation that doesn’t see a truck emblazoned with the logos of Allied Express, which is claimed to be the largest independently owned logistics specialist in Australia.

We take a look at the Allied business and its heavy dependence on Isuzu.

26 ELECTRIC AT A CANTER

The electric truck revolution may be inching forward at a very steady pace here in Australia, however one major truck entity is pushing as hard as it possibly can to achieve a higher level of zero emission trucks.

Daimler in the past few months has revealed its Mercedes- Benz eActros and just a few weeks before at the start of 2024 it revealed its second generation Fuso eCanter. We had the privilege of driving the new electric Fuso around Melbourne and came away impressed.

32 DAILY UPDATE

Iveco would be in real trouble if not for its Daily range of vans and cab-chassis light trucks. We can say that without fear or favour and it’s based on the hard numbers that are published every month by the Truck Industry Council, which highlight that Iveco is but a bit player in the heavy and medium duty sectors these days and that its main bread and butter is now the Daily. Towards the end of 2023 Iveco launched its latest update for the Daily and when offered the chance to head to Melbourne to test the workhorse we jumped at it.

38 FORGING AHEAD

National multi-modal transport and logistics company SCT says it is reaping the benefits of its newly introduced fleet of Scania Super prime movers for its Victorian business. The company says its new trucks are delivering double-digit fuel savings compared with the Scania prime movers they have replaced.

We take a look at SCT’s new Scania fleet.

44 MOVE IT!

Final mile freight delivery is often associated with vans or light trucks dropping off small parcels in urban areas, but when the freight has two, four, six or even more wheels, other delivery solutions are needed.

We take a look at auto logistics operation PrixCar Services and its new Move My Wheels division.

50 LCV: LDV CURRENT THINKING

When you read stories about electric car behemoth Tesla hitting sales turbulence in recent times, the reason given is mostly because electric vehicles from China have taken massive amounts of market share from the US brand. Just as with electric passenger cars, China is pushing ahead with an array of electric commercial vehicles. The LDV brand was amongst the first to bring an electric ute to this country. That was a bit underwhelming but LDV has recently launched an electric van to our shores. We took the LDV eDeliver7 for a spin around Sydney’s busy road network recently to see how it performs.

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26

DEPARTMENTS

04 BACK TRACKS

Musings from the Editor

06 HIGHWAY 64 NEW 1 PRODUCTS

News and info from Paul’salllatest over advice on finances

Highly flexible All-electric The flexible and agile Volvo FM Electric. Lower sound and emissions.

Excellent ergonomics and visibility. Designed for high-capacity grocery deliveries, container transports, refuse pickups and more within metropolitan areas. To simplify the transition to electromobility, the truck is offered together with solutions for charging, route and range planning and energy status.

Volvo Trucks. Driving Progress

WHILE INTEREST RATES RISE, THE BOOM IN TRUCK SALES CONTINUES APACE

T

he truck market is proving to be defiantly buoyant and ebullient despite the increasing headwinds that appear to be battering our economy.

Even though interest rates have risen and some businesses are suffering downturns after successive interest rate rises by the Reserve Bank of Australia, TIC figures on truck registrations for the first quarter of 2024 show that the numbers are still well up on the same period in 2023. This despite the fact that last year was a record year for commercial vehicle sales having outpaced the previous record year, which was 2022.

So what has kept the truck industry sales figures bubbling along so ferociously while all around us are signs of downturns?

Well from our perspective, and let us state categorically that we are not by any stretch of the imagination economists, or even economic experts, there are some clear indicators as to why truck sales have stayed high.

Firstly, despite many downturns in various industries, we still have a big bank of major infrastructure projects either underway, coming to a conclusion or kicking off. No matter which way you cut it, there is a vast amount of money being spent on these major projects and all of them need trucks to ensure their progress.

Whether it is in the excavation phase when stuff has to be carted away from the

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sites, or in the construction phase when concrete is being poured, tarmac is being laid, steel is being delivered or landscaping is being completed. All of those phases need trucks to make them happen. With so much infrastructure underway that means lots of trucks.

Away from the infrastructure sector, we also have a huge demand for new housing, again a business that needs trucks to make it all tick.

If it’s not in construction and building then other very real reality is the revolution in shopping that has taken us out of the High Street and positioned many of us in front of our computers ordering stuff on line. While there are still necessary deliveries to shops for people to purchase in a conventional way, we now have this whole eco-system that involves goods being purchased on a website and delivered directly to our houses. This of course has created a rising demand for trucks to handle those deliveries, lots of trucks in fact.

While those economic head winds are a worry there does seem to be signs that the overall economy is bubbling along still, a little down on what it was but still functioning and being buoyed by the rise in immigration in the wake of the closed borders era of the pandemic.

We think that it perhaps underlines that old phrase that the industry often trots

out that “Without trucks, Australia stops moving”. It is quite heartening to realise that we are still moving plenty of new trucks and that this shows that Australia is still moving quite well, thank you very much. Let’s hope that this continues on for a long time to come.

Meantime, elsewhere in this issue of Transport & Trucking Australia we road test the latest battery electric truck offerings from Daimler, both from its Japanese Fuso brand and from its flagship Mercedes-Benz brand in the form of the eActros. Both of them are brilliant new age commercial vehicles that herald the new era of zero emission vehicles that lays ahead of us.

As well as that we take a look at Allied Freight, a massive Australian courier operation which has an alliance with Isuzu.

We also take a close look at the latest Iveco Daily range with a road test of the new models and while with Iveco we take a look at PrixCar and its new specialised vehicle transport brand, Move My Wheels.

There is also a great story about SCT and its alliance with Scania and along with that a whole lot more interesting stuff in this issue of Transport & Trucking Australia. So settle back, relax and enjoy the read.

JON THOMSON

TO HAUL AND BACK SCAN TO FIND OUT MORE

ALL THE LATEST NEWS AN

D VIEWS FROM ACROSS TH

E GLOBE

RECORD FIRST QTR SALES / NEW ATA CHAIR / TRATON SALES DIP / MIXED MESS AGES

ON H2 / TESLA TRUCK FURT HER DELAYED

IT DIDN’T RAIN IT POURED -

APRIL SHOWERS TRUCK MAKERS WITH ANOTHER STRONG SALES PERFORMANCE

THE AUSTRALIAN truck market forged

year, and a figure that totally shaded

clearly being fought out between

is Scania with 145 sales ( all Heavy),

ahead with strong sales in April, which put the sales volume for the year to date well ahead of where it was in

its opponents.

Volvo and Kenworth. Volvo has come

followed by Iveco in seventh with 143,

April last year.

Next best in the overall market was Hino with 455 sales and 11.3 per cent share, while a huge performance by

close in the last few years, and actually led the market at various times during those years, however

spread across all sectors but mostly light duty, and Mercedes Benz with 137 in eighth.

In total 4043 heavy vehicles were sold in April 2024, 430 more than

Swedish Heavy Duty specialist, Volvo, beat out the usual third placegetter

Kenworth has always stormed home to claim the honour in the

UD with a total of 89 and Mack with 84 rounded out the top ten in the

were registered in the same month last year. The result puts the market 316 ahead of the year to date sales

in the market, Fuso, to claim the final podium place.

Volvo sold 366 trucks in April, a

closing months. At the end of April, Kenworth’s 285 monthly sales tally, were all Heavies. The result placed it

overall market.

While Volvo and Kenworth fought out for supremacy in the Heavy

tally for the first four months of 2023,

performance that has also given it

second in the year to date tally for the

market, Japanese market leader

which of course was a record year in its own right.

Isuzu, as usual, performed well

the lead in the heavy duty sector over rival Kenworth. Volvo’s sales were made up of 353 Heavy models and 13

heavy duty sector with 986 sales for the first four months. That puts Volvo 155 units ahead in the YTD tally for

Isuzu continues to impress in the top category, selling 220 heavy models in April, just 65 less than Kenworth.

leading the market with 1090 sales

Medium Duty trucks. Fuso’s total for

Heavy Duty. It is however early days,

It again underlines the impressive

for the month and a 27 per cent share of the overall market. That was 58 trucks ahead of its tally for April last

April was 306 trucks, which included heavy, light and medium trucks.

The battle for Heavy supremacy is

with eight months to play before the 2024 sales totals are finalised.

Behind Kenworth in fifth place overall

performance of Isuzu despite the fact that its heavy offering really services only the vocational part (construction

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etc.) of the sector. With plans to have a new prime mover for the lower end

Isuzu continued to be the dominant force in Medium Duty with 347 sales

thanks to a bumper tally of 523 sales in the sector for the month.

compared with the same month last year , a drop of 10.1 per cent.

of the intrastate and linehaul market, Isuzu could really cause Kenworth

and 52.7 per cent market share in the sector, almost double the 189 sales

Isuzu’s sales were 2.6 times more than Hino’s 199 light duty sales in

In heavy vans Mercedes dominated the sector with 299 Sprinters sold

and Volvo some headaches in years to come.

Hino registered for its second place and 28.7 per cent share of the sector.

April, which delivered 17.3 per cent market share, while Fuso fared better

in April for 43.6 per cent share of the sector, more than double that of

Scania was fourth in the heavy tally with 145 sales in April , while

Fuso appears to have had supply constraints limiting its Medium duty

with 162 light duty Canter sales in April.

Renault with 145 Masters and 21.1 per cent share. The rest of the Van

Mercedes-Benz was fifth with 88 heavies, just ahead of Mack’s 84

performance registering just 73 medium trucks in April, for just 11.1

Iveco moved 97 of its Daily based light duty truck chassis models to

market was divided up between Ford with 93 Transits, Fiat with 69 Ducatos,

sales and UD’s 78. Fuso with 71, Hino with 67 and DAF with 57 trucks rounded out the top ten in Heavy Duty.

per cent share. Having said that the next best in the sector was Iveco with just 12 mediums, followed by UD with

be ahead of the 75 Fiat Ducatos and the 47 Mercedes Sprinter light trucks registered for the month.

VW with 54 Crafters and Iveco with 26 Dailys.

Despite the head winds of higher

Three brands which produced some

11 and Hyundai, which continues to

Notably Hyundai moved 23 of its

interest rates and a softer consumer

lack lustre results in Heavy Duty, despite the sector being up almost 20 per cent on April last year, were

slowly build its sales, registering nine of its medium duty models, equal with Volvo.

Mighty Light Duty models, one of the brand’s best monthly totals, while Foton Mobility registered eight of its

market, the heavy commercial sector clearly powers on, but the question is will the salad days continue.

Western Star with 22 sales, MAN also

The dominant Isuzu N Series blew

battery electric models.

Indications are that they will, given

with 22 and Freightliner with one of its lowest tallies in recent times, at just 17 heavy duty registrations.

the opposition well and truly out of the water in April with the Isuzu light duty model taking 45.5 per cent share

Interestingly while Heavy and Medium sectors were up on April last year, Light Duty dipped by 129 sales

order books are still full and still attracting strong inquiry.

ATA NAMES PERRY AS NEW CHAIR THERE’S BEEN A CHANGE at the top

Heads in Trucks and Sheds.

of the Australian Trucking Association

“Trucking plays a very important role

(ATA) with the boss of Ron Finemore Transport, Mark Parry being elected Chair.

in supplying our daily needs. The ATA has a broad membership base and seeks to represent the industry to a

The peak industry body was looking for a new chair after David Smith

wide range of stakeholders,” - New ATA Chair Mark Parry.

retired following a four-year run in the top position.

“I look forward to seeking to help improve the safety, sustainability, and

The ATA tells us the incoming chair is a successful and experienced

the ongoing viability of our industry for those involved in it.”

senior executive with experience across manufacturing, mining, mining services, contracting, and transport

ATA members also elected Australia Post executive James Dixon to the board, while three directors have

and logistics.

retired - Noelene Watson, Geoff

He is also the deputy chair of Healthy

Crouch, and Austin Vella.

www.truckandbus.net.au 007

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MIXED MESSAGES ON HYDROGEN FROM BLOOMBERG ANALYSIS ANOTHER WEEK and another Transport/business “Think Tank” is

powerplants, most of the major truck makers are citing hydrogen fuel cells

the operation called Cell Centric. Both companies are saying that the first of

to the heavy vehicle industry will be too cost-prohibitive. From what we

questioning the place hydrogen might play in the future of road transport.

as the best and most impressive way to power heavy long distance trucks.

their fuel cell trucks will go on sale in 2028.

understand and what we are told by many experts and truck makers, is

However the latest report from BloombergNEF (BNEF), seems to be a

This will mean using hydrogen in a fuel cell to create electricity to power

All agree that the only economically viable way to have zero emission

bit ambiguous and slightly contradictory,

Hydrogen engine technology presents an exciting opportunity and we’ve been told to expect similar functionality to a diesel power plant but with essentially no harmful emissions. We presume in saying this that BNEF is referring to the idea of using hydrogen as a replacement

an electric truck driveline.

Some of the biggest players in road transport and powertrain technology, including companies like Volvo, Daimler, Iveco, Paccar and Toyota have forecast a hydrogen future, to varying degrees, however, BNEF says the brakes need to be tapped just a little on hydrogen.

BNEF says it is concerned that manufacturers could be spreading themselves too thin by investing in hydrogen technology as well as

power in heavy and long distance trucks is via hydrogen fuel cell. As they explain batteries won’t cut it for long distance and heavy loads because of the weight needed to provide efficient battery power.

BNEF admits that in the next 10-15 years it is more likely that batteries and hydrogen fuel cells will account for a high share of sales for many of the companies.

that hydrogen refuelling infrastructure will be a relatively easy thing to put into place and will be the least of the

for carbon based fuels in Internal Combustion Engines (ICE). However

hydrogen fuel cells and batteries.

However when speaking with the

the reality is while some, including power train specialist Cummins and

likes of Daimler and Volvo, which have partnered in joint a venture to develop

portfolios, remains uncertain.

So, is there a future for hydrogen in heavy road transport applications?

BNEF believes there is, but most likely only as a niche in the market, for example in emerging economies where a lack of mature electricity grid

global Automotive giant Toyota are talking about hydrogen fuelled ICE

hydrogen fuel cell power, jointly investing close to $AUD 2 billion in

BNEF claims that the cost of providing hydrogen refuelling infrastructure

infrastructure could limit the roll-out of battery-electric trucks.

with the organisation saying that perhaps the brakes might have to be applied on optimistic visions of hydrogen’s role in zero emission trucks.

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That doesn’t rule out that the development of hydrogen combustion vehicles, but rather BNEF claims it believes that hydrogen vehicles and their place in future technology

challenges facing the industry BNEF also claims that it believes fuel cells for trucks will still likely win out over hydrogen engines as they are more efficient — and therefore less expensive to operate based on fuel costs, which is exactly what the truck makers have been saying, so we are not to sure what new information the Bloomberg analysis actually reveals.

DAF PURE EXCELLENCE

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SEE DAF VERSATILITY IN ACTION

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SALES DIP BUT PROFITS RISE FOR TRATON IN STEADY START IN 2024 VOLKSWAGEN GROUP has released its quarter-year sales and financial

products, fell four per cent on the same period in 2023 to a total of

more than 104,000 people, according to Volkswagen.

reports and while things were a little challenging for the automotive

81,148 units.

Of those units, trucks accounted for

Interestingly, Traton is proving to be a lucrative division for the group,

behemoth to start 2024, there are predictions for a much better short-

68,772 sales, down two per cent and bus deliveries, which declined a more

margins on trucks, buses, and vans sit at nine per cent, that is better than

term future.

The division that interests us the most

substantial 34 per cent to 5,032.

MAN TGE Vans accounted for the

here at T&TA is the Volkswagen heavy commercial vehicle stable - known

balance of sales in the period with 7,344

the group’s average operating return on sales which ranges between seven per cent and 7.5 per cent.

Volkswagen Group CFO and COO Arno Antlitz is expecting the sales downturns experienced in quarter one of 2024 to turn around.

as Traton, the parent company of both Scania and MAN. Traton sales across the first three months, incorporating brands including Scania, Navistar, and MAN, and across both truck and bus

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sales, which were up nine per cent .

Sales revenue was up however.

In total, Traton increased revenue from truck, bus and van sales by five per cent to around $AUD19 billion (12 billion Euros).

While the truck divisions employed

“As expected, our first quarter results show a slow start to the year. We remain confident of achieving our

financial targets for 2024,” said Antlitz.

“A strong March, the solid order bank, and the improving order intake in the past months are encouraging and should already have a positive impact in the second quarter,” he added “We expect additional momentum over the year from the launch of more than 30 new models across all brands.

“At the same time, the effects of our efficiency programmes will gradually unfold as the year progresses. In this context, it will be particularly important to vigorously counteract the increase in fixed costs and exercise investment discipline,” he concluded.

HEAVY VEHICLE REST AREA PROGRAM GETS FURTHER BOOST THE ALBANESE Government has reaffirmed its commitment to

The projects includes the construction of new rest areas with dedicated

and infrastructure, Senator Carol Brown said the Albanese Government’s

users,” Brown added According to the chair of the

enhancing road safety across the nation, with the announcement of five

slip and turning lanes, shelters, landscaping, and connecting

$14 million investment in improved rest areas is another example of our

Heavy Vehicle Rest Area Steering Committee, Glenn Sterle the Australian

new projects in its Heavy Vehicle Rest Area Program.

footpaths, as well as the upgrade of existing ones from light to heavy

action towards achieving Vision Zero— zero deaths on our roads by 2050.

Government’s Heavy Vehicle Rest Area initiative aims to increase heavy

The projects are part of a $17 million a joint initiative between federal,

vehicle classification with allweather pavement, solar lighting, and

“By investing in much-needed rest stops, we will ensure that our truckies

vehicle user safety and productivity through vital new and upgraded rest

state and local governments, with the Albanese Government contributing

amenities.

The government says projects will be

spend less time on the roads and get home safely to their loved ones,” said

areas across their journey.

“We want to keep our truck drivers

more than $14 million.

They are funded through the second

delivered on the Barrier Highway in South Australia, Newell Highway and

Senator Brown.

“I would like to thank the HVRA

and communities safe and these new and upgraded rest stops will

tranche of the Heavy Vehicle Rest Area Program (HVRAP), which will provide $140 million of funding over 10 years.

Sturt Highway in New South Wales, and at Pingelly in Western Australia.

Federal assistant minister for transport

Steering Committee for their work in identifying these strategic projects that are essential for the safety of all road

help drivers reduce their fatigue as they keep goods moving across the country,” said Sterle.

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TESLA TRUCK NOW NOT EXPECTED TO ENTER PRODUCTION TILL LATE 2025 the Musk-led brand, especially regarding the addition of commercial

expectations. So far, only 36 of the Tesla electric prime movers have

vehicles into the EV brand’s line-up he continues to be ebullient about

been delivered.

Reports are that the holdup isn’t just

the brand prospects in the heavy commercial market.

The Tesla Pick-Up has proved

confined to Pepsi, or to the USA for that matter.

A number of Canadian hauliers who

quite troublesome, not to mention polarising. When it comes to opinions

have placed orders for the trucks have essentially given up on receiving

on its styling, while the Tesla SemiTruck battery electric prime mover, as

their Tesla vehicles and are turning to rival electric truck manufacturers to

they call it, has been in the headlines for production delays and missed

fill their ranks.

US-based food distributor Sysco, UPS

delivery promises.

Tesla recently laid off thousands of

and Walmart are all also awaiting the Tesla product and in some instances

workers in a bid to save money on the back of falling sales and lower profit.

are instead turning to the Freightliner eCascadia.

Now comes confirmation that the Tesla Class 8 Semi tractor, or prime mover as we call it, now will not enter proper production until late 2025 at a ‘state-of-the-art’ plant in Reno, Nevada,

What is of significant interest in all this is that the early Tesla Truck orders were all subsidised by significant tax-payer funded Government grants.

Tesla has declined to comment on the

Vice president of vehicle engineering at Tesla, Lars Moravy, has said the first customer deliveries are now not

production holdups.

We understand that it appears sourcing

expected to start until early 2026.

has been an ongoing issue.

Speaking to investors at the release of the company’s first-quarter 2024 results in April, Moravy said high-

The Tesla founder, Elon Musk,

profile customers like Pepsi Co. will get their vehicles first.

THERE’S BEEN A LOT of false hope among established and prospective

But Tesla is sort of in-between. It has become a big player with sales of

electric vehicle manufacturers over the past 10 years, particularly with the enigmatic zero emission vehicle

its cars and SUVs continually on the up, both globally and particularly in Australia. However in the past month

brand, Tesla.

or two its equally enigmatic CEO, Elon

Some businesses have gone by the wayside as they try to establish their EVs in a market still dominated by

Musk has been forced to eat some humble pie as the brand has come under intense pressure from Chinese

petrol and diesel-powered vehicles.

ZEV makers forcing a drop in Tesla

Of course, the big players have deep pockets and have been able to play the long game.

sales globally.

However, while there are concerns about the long-term prospects of

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of batteries for the heavy truck offering

confirmed this was continuing to be an issue for the brand at an energy conference in 2023.

But, the billionaire did promise those

“So we’re finalising the engineering of the Semi to enable like a super costeffective high-volume production

issues would be resolved in 2024.

Pepsi Co. appears to be hedging its bets when it comes to the balance of

with our learnings from our fleet

the 100 truck order.

A spokesperson said they were

and our pilot fleet and Pepsi fleet, which we are expanding this year marginally.”

Meanwhile, Pepsi Co., which has an order for 100 Tesla semi-trucks, dating back to 2017, and which were meant to enter distribution operations for the soft drink giant by last year, is now well and truly behind its

“focused on best leveraging the 36 (Tesla Semi) vehicles that are currently in our fleet.”

We’ll keep an eye on the situation in the coming months, one can’t help but feel just a little sceptical that the long-promised offering might end up in the too-hard basket for Tesla.

MEET THE WORLDS MOST THERMALLY EFFICIENT DIESEL ENGINE WHAT IS THERMAL EFFICIENCY? Well, in simple terms, it’s an engine’s ability to convert the chemical energy stored in diesel fuel into useful mechanical energy.

developing for a number of years now.

They say their systems and technolgies (which are not yet public knowledge)

The higher the thermal efficiency, the more efficient the diesel engine, the less it costs to run (and the more environmentally friendly it is).

would allow for about a 14 per cent decrease in diesel fuel consumption over a comparible engine running at 45-46 per cent thermal efficiency (most likely

That’s why since the invention of the diesel internal combustion engine engineers have been trying to find new ways of upping the thermal efficiency.

similar to what you are currently using).

And for a heavy-duty tractor (or prime-mover in our terminology) this would

And they have, from about 30 per cent 50 years ago, modern diesels tend to run up to a maximum of about 50 per cent thermal efficiency (as a best

mean a saving of about 45,000 litres of diesel fuel each year, based on an annual use of 250,000km.

case scenario).

Well, it may not seem like a big jump, but the Chinese have just unveiled a

What’s that, about $AUD90,000 annually? That’s not small change!

According to the Weichai Power team, this technical breakthrough will

diesel engine with the best thermal efficiency recorded so far - 53.09 per cent.

Weichai Power has unveiled the new engine (seen above) which they have been

benefit not only transportation but also other industries, such as construction machinery, agricultural equipment, ships, and power generation equipment.

www.truckandbus.net.au 013

New Product

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GO TO ANY MAIN STREET IN ANY TOWN OR SUBURB ANYWHERE IN AUSTRALIA ANY DAY OF THE WEEK AND THERE WILL BE TRUCKS RUMBLING ALONG DELIVERING GOODS TO SHOPS AND SUPERMARKETS MAKING THE AREAS NOISY, POLLUTED AND GENERALLY UNPLEASANT FOR ANYONE USING THE THOROUGHFARE. THAT WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY CHANGE WITH A TRUCK LIKE THE NEW MERCEDESBENZ eACTROS. WE HAD THE CHANCE TO DRIVE THE NEW BATTERY ELECTRIC BENZ RECENTLY. www.truckandbus.net.au 015

I

t’s not just the shoppers and locals who are affected by the noise and emissions from the fleets of trucks, that are so necessary in keeping the streets of commerce alive and well, the drivers of the trucks have to endure days at the wheel suffering the rumble of the diesel and the vibrations through the cab.

For the past 100 or more years that has been the reality of serving our cities and keeping the wheels of life rolling. However that reality will be changing, and changing for the better over the next few years as the new generation of electric trucks come online and start replacing diesel trucks in urban operation.

It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen and the revolution has already started.

We have reported about many of the new gen zero emission trucks in recent times and driven a number of them and in this instance we had the chance to drive a market ready, battery electric medium-duty rigid truck in the form of the MercedesBenz eActros.

To say that Daimler Truck is a conservative organisation is probably an understatement. However, the organisation’s desire and ambition to embrace zero emission trucks is real, and in fact they are very willing to deliver this new clean

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tech, but nevertheless, it is an organisation that is intrinsically conservative. That is witnessed by the fact that the German giant has not rushed its introduction of electric drivelines, and also that its claims for range and capacity have been, and are very conservative, particularly in comparison to some rivals, particularly those from China.

We first drove the Mercedes-Benz. eActros in Germany in August 2022, steering what was an early production model in a 50 km loop around the roads near the giant Daimler truck factory at Worth. In what was a blisteringly hot day during a European heat wave, with the mercury hitting mid to high 30s every day, the eActros performed superbly and demonstrated the qualities an electric driveline brings to the day to day working environment of truck drivers, not to mention that of anyone who shops in those main streets, or who live near a busy road.

As Simon and Garfunkel sang, it really is the ‘sound of silence’ when it comes to driving the eActros, and just as it showed in Germany almost three years ago, it is just the same here on Aussie roads.

Press the starter button on the eActros and there are some faint, far off whirrings from various cooling fans and the dash lights up with some clicking from relays,

but no engine noise, not a skerrick of diesel rumble or vibration, zilch, nothing, nada.

It truly is the sound of silence.

Daimler had brought us to Mulgrave in Melbourne’s east to its training and technology centre, where the two eActros the company had on the road for testing and demonstration purposes were stabled.

Inside the warehouse were the two identical eActros 300s. The 300 refers to the fact that they are powered by a triple battery pack that produces approximately 300kWh, in fact 336kWh to be precise.

As we said, Daimler is conservative and part of that is the fact that it has particularly paid attention to the thermal stability of its battery packs in its electric trucks to prevent overheating and to ensure optimum efficiency.

Part of the reason for this attention to thermal stability is that batteries can get very hot when discharging under heavy load, when charging or if they are forced to operate in particularly hot or cold ambient temperatures. Daimler has aimed to keep the temperature of the truck ‘s batteries to a range of between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius, which it says is the most efficient operating scale.

Prior to driving the eActros, Daimler’s Romesh Rodriquez gave us a thorough

technical run through around a cab chassis version that was yet to have a body fitted.

This enabled us to get an appreciation for how the truck is engineered and to see the answers Daimler engineers have delivered to the questions posed by creating an electric truck.

Unlike its current rival for medium duty electric truck sales, Volvo, Mercedes has employed an e-Axle incorporating the electric motor, regenerative braking/ generator system, a two speed gearbox, and a differential, as well the axle itself taking the power to the rear wheels. The trucks in question were both 4x2 configurations.

The tech rundown revealed the positioning of the battery packs within the chassis rails of the truck, just about dead centre in the truck, for optimal weight distribution. On the outside of the chassis rails are side underrun protection barriers that incorporate emergency battery disconnection devices that will isolate the power when the truck is involved in a significant collision. Again the conservative approach from Daimler coming to the fore.

Daimler tells us that the eActros 300 delivers peak power of 536hp with the ability to deliver continuous power of 443hp, and says that nominally the truck has a range of 300 kilometres. This is

again a mark of the conservatism of Daimler, with our test drive showing that in suburban running the regenerative braking could potentially deliver a fair bit more than 300km in reality.

Daimler says, that although range may vary depending on the geography of the area, and for that matter temperatures, the load and aero of the body, and the manner in which the truck is being driven, the fact is that in testing the truck Benz has found that the 300km range has been regularly achieved, with a 20 per cent battery capacity margin remaining in the cells.

Again conservatism to the fore.

For our test drive from Mulgrave into the Dandenongs, the eActros was loaded to 15.2 tonnes with a payload of 5.2 tonnes and six tonnes on the front axle.

Heading off into the mid-morning weekday traffic, the first impression of the eActros is the way it just glides along. It is very quiet, seamlessly accelerating away from intersections and traffic lights with none of the noise or vibration of a diesel.

Ahead of the driver is a cockpit that is similar, but not exactly the same as a diesel Actros. For a start there is no tachometer.

Replacing that is an energy usage gauge on the right hand side of the instrument screen, showing both the energy you are

using and the energy you’re replenishing from regen braking. On the other side of the panel is the speedo, while to the left of the main display is another 10 inch LED touch screen infotainment display.

On the stalk on the right hand side of the steering column you control the regenerative braking with five stages of retardation that can be used to virtually stop the truck without having to touch the service brakes. We often found ourselves shuffling the stalk up and down to manage the coasting to a stop at the traffic lights and it quickly becomes a test to see if you can manage the stop without touching the service brakes. Of course the more regen is used the less the charge drops.

Not only is the eActros quiet when accelerating, save for the whirr of electric motors and pumps, but it is also indecently quick for a 15 tonne rigid. Push that go pedal down and you often find yourself surprising unsuspecting car drivers, most of whom expect the lumbering behemoth to slowly gather pace. Instead it races away with plenty of urgency.

Unlike its smaller sibling, the Fuso eCanter, the eActros has a two-speed transmission, which shifts from first to second almost imperceptibly, handling the huge amount of torque the electric motor

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THERE’S A LOT TO LIKE ABOUT THE EACTROS AND WE ARE CONVINCED THAT TRUCKS LIKE THIS WILL BE A BIG PART OF THE SOLUTION TO OUR PLANETS GREENHOUSE GAS DILEMMA is delivering. Unlike an ICE powered truck, an electric motor produces its maximum torque at start up.

Of course the harder you accelerate the more energy you use, and the faster the batteries discharge, just as the fuel tank drops when a diesel truck is driven hard.

Part of our mindset with electric trucks is the challenge to extract more distance or range out the truck and to be as mindful of that as possible.

With its pace, ease of operation and the quiet of the truck cabin, the eActros makes a more comfortable and fatigue free workplace for drivers and one that is sure to win drivers over in pretty quick time.

Mercedes says there is a 10dB reduction in noise levels in the eActros cabin, and that equates to about half the noise generated in the cabin of a diesel Actros, already one of the quietest ICE trucks on the market.

Another aspect that further aids that reduction in cabin noise is employment of Daimler’s excellent MirrorCam system, which removes the traditional glass door mirrors and replaces them with thin aerodynamic camera wings above each door. Not only does it drastically reduce wind noise at highway speeds but it removes a huge reduction in the driver’s forward field of vision on both sides of the cabin.

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The new eActros has Daimler’s secondgeneration MirrorCam system which has been refined and enhanced and performs even better than its predecessor, with better rear vision for the driver making for even safer driving performance.

Winding our way through the suburban main roads of Eastern Melbourne, and along some minor secondary roads in the foothills of the Dandenongs, only served to endear the eActros to us with its effortless performance and relaxed manners.

Of course the eActros has a full array of safety tech with the inclusion of active and passive safety features such as Active Brake Assist 5 emergency braking system, Side Guard Assist, which detects cars, pedestrians and cyclists alongside the truck when making a left turn. As well as those it has stability control, lane keep, attention assist, roll control assist and tyre pressure monitoring.

Benz has also included an Acoustic Vehicle Alert System, which alerts other road uses and pedestrians with sound when the truck is travelling at low speeds. Given how quiet the eActros is, this is a good move toward helping to prevent an errant pedestrian from wandering in front of the truck.

Naturally there are the familiar passive systems, such as airbags and ABS and

really makes the eActros one of the bestequipped and safest trucks on the market.

Our day at the wheel of the eActros was over all too quickly. However when we clambered down from the cabin, there was still plenty of charge remaining in the battery after tackling a wide range of conditions. From suburban and inner city running to semi-rural conditions and some motorway driving the truck took it all in its stride. You don’t have to spend much time with the eActros to be convinced that this is the future of urban delivery trucks.

The major hurdle and challenge for OEMs and operators at the moment is price. At the moment this generally equates to being more than twice what you’d pay for a diesel equivalent. Charging infrastructure is also a challenge but that and the price will get better in time we are convinced.

Charging the eActros on a high-speed DC charger can take the truck from 20 per cent to 80 per cent charge in about an hour, meaning that the truck can be replenished in the middle of the day while the driver takes a lunch break, meaning it could potentially cover about 500 to 600 km in a working day.

There’s a lot to like about the eActros and we are convinced that trucks like this will be a big part of the solution to our planets greenhouse gas dilemma.

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We continue to go the Extra Mile to ensure our flagship Quon is better for business, better for people, and better for the planet.

There’s a reason the UD Quon is the truck Australia trusts.

Going the Extra Mile To find out more, contact your UD Trucks dealer on 1300 BUY A UD or visit udtrucks.com/australia

Case Study

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ALLIED FORCES THERE IS BARELY A NOOK OR CRANNY ACROSS THE NATION THAT DOESN’T SEE A TRUCK EMBLAZONED WITH THE LOGOS OF ALLIED EXPRESS, WHICH IS CLAIMED TO BE THE LARGEST INDEPENDENTLY OWNED LOGISTICS SPECIALIST IN AUSTRALIA. WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE ALLIED BUSINESS AND ITS HEAVY DEPENDENCE ON ISUZU.

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he business, with its new head office and distribution centre near Bankstown Airport in Sydney, prides itself on running a tightly coordinated operation that has been servicing its customers since 1978.

The Allied business today is a different beast to what it was pre-pandemic – with a seismic consumer shift towards online shopping leaving little time to react, and large room for growth.

Managing director at Allied Express, Michelle McDowell, said the market changed almost overnight

with customers clamouring for timely delivery direct to homes.

That led the company to invest heavily in new infrastructure and equipment to manage this demand. It implemented a state-of-the-art automated sorting and distribution system at the Bankstown facility, which has been purposefully designed to handle bulk volume, large and oddly shaped items.

This focus on improving the sorting and delivery process to provide efficient service for their customers flows to the Allied Express road transport fleet, which comprises subcontractors who operate their own vehicles.

According to Michelle McDowell, there is no ‘blueprint’ for the perfect delivery vehicle as Allied Express recruit for the work going—whether that’s door-to-door metro delivery or interstate hauls.

“Drivers are amply supported with software and GPS-tracking systems painstakingly developed in-house, seeing them armed with the latest in PDAs, PODs and sign-on-glass technology,” said McDowell.

“More than the obvious ability to move freight from one point to another, we are

a courier transport partner operating in partnership with our customers and can respond to changing needs,” Michelle added.

“Whichever Allied courier or express freight services you select, our attitude remains the same, your customers become our customers, your commitment becomes our commitment and your reputation as a consistent and reliable supplier will always ride safely with us,” Michelle said.

“We mirror our customer’s service, delivery regime and sense of commitment to clients and in practical terms, we are a courier company that thinks the way our customer does,” she added.

She went on to say that Isuzu Trucks’ model range was a popular choice among Allied Express’ subcontractors.

“Our fleet consists of a wide variety of trucks, because we do such a gauntlet of different delivery types,” she said.

“Reliability and presentation are very important for Allied Express as our customers put their trust in us to deliver the product on their behalf… it is important for all drivers to keep their vehicles well-presented and for them to be proud of their work.”

Allied Provides courier, taxi truck, local and national distribution as well

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as third party logistics and its own track and trace system.

The company services some of Australia’s biggest and best known brands, including Kmart, Temple & Webster and Volkswagen Australia, to name but a few.

One subcontractor, Jack Singh, is taking this mantra to heart. He deals primarily with large pallets on a route that takes him through the hustle of Sydney streets and occasionally out for a foray in the countryside.

He had a particular vehicle in mind that would match the criteria required for a position with Allied Express and his own exacting requirements.

“I bought the late 2022 model of the FSR 140-260 from Dwyers Truck Centre,” said Jack, rattling-off the details of his truck.

“It’s a fantastic truck, I wanted this specific body length and size which makes it perfect for my everyday routine.”

The FSR has proven a prime platform

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to support Jack Singh’s vision, with an extended wheelbase of nine metres and a 2.6-metre clearance allowing for greater payload and maximising productivity.

A six-speed Allison automatic transmission provides ease of use in busy city traffic, working in combination with a customised airbag suspension system controlled from the cab to protect Jack Singh’s precious cargo.

The Isuzu offer a choice of custom media doors at the rear, which provide optimum access and a professional presentation.

A freshly minted chrome grille adds to this, along with a matching air deflector and accents, all of which makes for a very proudly presented unit.

For many drivers like Jack Singh, minimising downtime and keeping the breadwinner running at peak performance is a high priority.

Jack Singh says Isuzu Trucks offers him peace of mind with a six-year warranty and

six years of roadside assist, with a service agreement package secured from his local Isuzu dealership, Dwyers Truck Centre.

“I’ve got a six-year warranty on this new truck and a service agreement from the dealer,” said Jack Singh.

“This means that if I get a job overnight, I just have to put the keys in the ignition and away I go and I know that I’m covered anywhere in Australia with the nationwide warranty.”

Allied Express oversees a fleet of more than 1000 vehicles, covering the entire country with a comprehensive range of fast and efficient express freight transport services ranging from the inner-city bicycles to line-haul trucks.

“As long as there is a road, we can deliver or pick-up from anywhere in Australia, however it is what we do beyond the courier service that defines who we are and sets us apart from the competition,” said Michelle McDowell.

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New Model

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THE ELECTRIC TRUCK REVOLUTION MAY BE INCHING FORWARD AT A VERY STEADY PACE HERE IN AUSTRALIA, HOWEVER ONE MAJOR TRUCK ENTITY IS PUSHING AS HARD AS IT POSSIBLY CAN TO ACHIEVE A HIGHER LEVEL OF ZERO EMISSION TRUCKS. DAIMLER IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS HAS REVEALED ITS MERCEDES- BENZ EACTROS AND JUST A FEW WEEKS BEFORE AT THE START OF 2024 IT REVEALED ITS SECOND GENERATION FUSO ECANTER. WE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF DRIVING THE NEW ELECTRIC FUSO AROUND MELBOURNE AND CAME AWAY IMPRESSED.

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A

round the time you are reading this story Fuso will be delivering the initial batch of its second gen eCanters, having announced and confirmed that the next generation all-electric eCanter would be launched here in Australia by May, promising a full model line-up consisting of 14 variants.

It is the first time that the Daimler owned brand has offered a full line up of models in its eCanter EV range, with the new trucks coming with an updated and more efficient driveline, the choice of both a narrow and regular cab width along with the choice of six wheelbases and three battery configurations and four different weight ratings.

T&TA had the chance to drive one of the new eCanter’s for a limited test around the suburbs and city of Melbourne covering about 70 quiet and drama free kilometres in the electric eCanters.

We can report that the new gen eCanter comes equipped with the latest iteration of Daimler’s own e-axle, incorporating the truck’s electric motor, regenerative braking/ charging generator and the differential all in one unit as part of the truck’s rear axle.

The e-axle concept is cited by industry

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observers as a “big step forward” for EVs, because of the great efficiencies it offers, particularly in regard to reduced energy losses, and better packaging that allows improved positioning of battery packs in the centre of the truck. The e-axle makes for better overall flexibility in a trucks configuration, allowing engineers to extend the wheelbase far more easily than with the ‘motor-prop shaft- diff ’ model used in the previous gen eCanter and in ICE powered trucks we are so used to. It also delivers lighter weight, better efficiency, and less power loss.

The eCanter e615 models we drove included both a wide cab model, land a narrow cab version, loaded to 5160kg, with a route covering a mix of suburban, city motorway and stop start driving around Melbourne.

The e615 sits right in the middle of the new eCanter range which includes four GVM options with the 4.5-tonne car licence legal version, the 6-tonne e615, as well as a 7.5-tonne and 8.5-tonne option.

The big news for a lot of fleets, such as the Woolworths and Coles home delivery fleets, is that the 4.5 tonne option enables drivers with car licence only ratings, and limited truck experience to steer the

eCanter, a factor that will put this truck on the shopping lists of many operations.

There is also the choice of three battery configurations, as well as the option of a City Cab or Wide Cab which we mentioned earlier.

The e615s we tested featured an electric motor that produced 110kW peak power or 85kW continuous power. Along with that, the electric driveline had a maximum torque of 430Nm, which of course is produced from start up. The test trucks both featured two lithium iron phosphate battery packs which delivers an 83kWh capacity.

Daimler being the conservative and risk averse organisation that has allowed it to stay in business longer than any other automotive company, (about 137 years if you start the count when Karl Benz first started selling automobiles), it is not surprisingly conservative when doing anything, particularly when quoting range mileage. With the test trucks Daimler quoted a range of 200km, however after we navigated a course of around 60 km around Melbourne we reckon that in the stop start melee of city driving, where braking regen clearly assists with range by replenishing the batteries, we reckon you could easily

eek out more than 250km with the two battery pack truck. There is an option of having three battery packs, which Daimler estimates would deliver a range of around 300km.

Daimler reckons that, with access to a 100kW fast charger, the eCanter could easily handle a big morning’s work before the driver would need to plug the truck in for a 45 minute charge, to take it from five per cent to 90 per cent using a fast DC charger. That means that while the driver is having lunch and a break the truck can be replenished to handle another productive afternoon.

Again being the conservative statespeople of the auto industry, that they are, Daimler has devoted a lot of time to ensuring the battery tech it uses in its trucks is both reliable and safe and delivers the best capacity and range. Of course these are all aspects critical to safe and efficient EV operation. That is certainly the case with the latest gen Daimler battery electric trucks. We saw this recently with the eActros rigid we tested. Daimler, and in this case Fuso, has utilised a modular battery system that allows multiple battery packs to be fitted to trucks (within limits), and also employed a liquid cooling system

to ensure thermal stability and control.

Think about those cheap e-bike and e-scooter battery fires and you understand how important thermal stability is for the latest lithium iron phosphate batteries.

Fuso says the modular system has allowed it to put its liquid cooling system around the battery packs to maintain optimum temperature stability.

Inside the cabin the new gen eCanter displays more of its increasingly Daimler DNA, with a much improved treatment of the interior, featuring less of the drab grey familiar in most Japanese light duty trucks, and more black and pleasing tones, including a black leather trimmed steering wheel with red stitching, which is very snazzy.

ISRI seats are also fitted as standard in the new eCanter, which combined with its excellent ride, makes it a very comfortable truck to steer or ride in.

Immediately in front of the driver is a new, big digital dash, which delivers all of the relevant data a driver needs, most importantly the power you are using and how much is being regenerated under braking and coasting. There is also a large speedo display as well. Obviously with an electric truck there is no need for an oil

pressure gauge, a tacho, or for that matter a water temp gauge, so all the important info is there.

In the centre of the dash is another large infotainment screen that enables the driver to manage audio, shows the images from the reversing camera, nav and has access to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

It also features a real volume knob that allows the driver to easily and safely turn the audio up or down, unlike the press controls on many contemporary automotive touch screen systems.

Fire the electric system up by turning the key like switch on the steering column, and the dash lights up with a ‘ready’ message that tells the driver they can engage drive or reverse and it is just a matter of putting your foot on the accelerator and gliding away from stop with minimal fuss and even less noise.

Unlike a diesel truck, the Fuso eCanter has just one forward gear and there is no loss of drive as the electric motor whirrs its way to cruising speed. That is where that ‘maximum torque’ at start up quality of an electric motor comes into its own. If you didn’t know the eCanter was loaded to near full GVM, you’d swear it was empty, such is the forward urge the powerplant supplies.

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It just blasts away up the road outdistancing ICE powered trucks and vans, and even surprising some cars.

Then when it comes time to pull the eCanter up, the miracle of regen braking kicks in. The eCanter has three levels of regen force, similar to different levels of exhaust braking, but of course there is no exhaust, only electrical force, which is a whole lot better. On level three the truck pulls up quite quickly and you find yourself adjusting the levels to coast to a stop at the lights, often without the need to touch the service brakes. It is fantastic to use, and instils the driver with enormous confidence.

It will also mean fleets with properly trained drivers will save a poultice on brake maintenance and replacement.

In this case the regen braking is controlled via the eCanter’s gear stick, not via a stalk on the steering column as it is with some trucks, but it still works fine.

The other big step forward for the eCanter is the independent front suspension, which delivers car like ride to the small cab-over truck world. It rides, handles, and corners like a large SUV or 4WD, more than a light truck, most of which usually ride and handle like a large dray. Along with that it also has rack and pinion steering, not the

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vague old recirculating ball steering systems in most trucks. It makes for precise and nicely balanced steering that will make a day at the wheel far less fatigue inducing than it has been in the past, not to mention being safer.

Melbourne’s crowded stop-start traffic is the enemy of efficient diesel operation, but it is just the opposite for an electric truck.

The stop-start helps with the regen and puts more power back in the batteries. It really is the sweet spot of operating environments for electric trucks and underlines just how efficient they are in these conditions.

Of course electric vehicles are a lot more costly to buy than their ICE counterparts.

Although Daimler is yet to reveal actual pricing for the new eCanter it is likely to be a lot more than the traditional Canters. Unlike the first gen eCanter it is superseding, which was only available on a lease basis, this eCanter will be available for outright purchase.

Remember that while it is a lot dearer to buy, the new eCanter will be a lot cheaper to run that a diesel, with lower fuel costs, maintenance, and servicing downtime.

So that does give it a clear advantage.

Among the other updates for the second generation range is the addition of an

electric power take off (ePTO) to run auxiliary items such as a crane or fridge unit on the back of the truck.

Fuso has also given the truck its full suite of active safety technology, some of which are not yet available on the regular Canter models. This includes advanced brake assist5 with pedestrian detection, active side guard assist, lane departure warning, stability control assist and high voltage shut off crash sensors. The eCanter also has an acoustic vehicle alert system (AVAS) fitted, which produces sound at speeds below 20km/h to alert pedestrians and road users to the otherwise silent truck.

Exterior changes include LED headlights with daytime running lamps (DRLs) and a more modern appearance that differentiates the truck from its fossil fuel-drinking siblings.

Fuso was the first-to-market bragging rights with the original eCanter, and the use of Daimler’s e-axle technology in its second generation eCanter is also a first for the light-duty truck segment.

After an all too brief run around Melbourne we can tell you that the new gen eCanter has redefined the light duty electric truck market with what is a standard setting truck.

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Model Update

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IVECO WOULD BE IN REAL TROUBLE IF NOT FOR ITS DAILY RANGE OF VANS AND CAB-CHASSIS LIGHT TRUCKS. WE CAN SAY THAT WITHOUT FEAR OR FAVOUR AND IT’S BASED ON THE HARD NUMBERS THAT ARE PUBLISHED EVERY MONTH BY THE TRUCK INDUSTRY COUNCIL, WHICH HIGHLIGHT THAT IVECO IS BUT A BIT PLAYER IN THE HEAVY AND MEDIUM DUTY SECTORS THESE DAYS AND THAT ITS MAIN BREAD AND BUTTER IS NOW THE DAILY. TOWARDS THE END OF 2023 IVECO LAUNCHED ITS LATEST UPDATE FOR THE DAILY AND WHEN OFFERED THE CHANCE TO HEAD TO MELBOURNE TO TEST THE WORKHORSE WE JUMPED AT IT.

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ith Iveco having divested itself of its heritage listed manufacturing plant at Dandenong, after ceasing local truck production, we found ourselves just up the road at the local Iveco dealership accepting the keys for the new Daily cab chassis model we would try first.

Iveco has introduced a raft of changes to the latest Daily van and cab chassis line-up, with the aim of providing owners with additional comfort, safety, and functionality.

It is an evolution and not a revolution and builds on its predecessor’s qualities and benefits, further increasing the model’s credentials in the large van/light cab chassis truck segment.

The Daily now features revised seating which offers better bolstering, and which now includes memory foam, which Iveco says makes it the first vehicle in the commercial space to offer this. They have also introduced a taller head rest, while they have made cabin ingress and egress easier, with what it calls an improved seat ‘get-off ’ angle.

Other changes to the cabin include longer seatbelts to accommodate Aussie and Kiwi bodies and lengthened seat rails to allow greater adjustability. Additionally, a slightly deeper bulkhead for van models also assists in providing a more comfortable driving environment for taller drivers.

Iveco has also introduced electric power

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steering across the range, switching from traditional hydraulic power assistance in previous versions. This makes the steering assistance nicer, more predictable, and quieter overall and we can say it is a much nicer vehicle to drive with the electric assistance.

Along with the electric power assistance steering, Iveco has also improved the ergonomics of the steering column, which now has both tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment. This is enabled as result of the new electric power steering.

Iveco has also included a new ‘City Mode’ button on the dash, to reduce steering effort by up to 70 per cent to make it easier to maneuver in slow speed driving situations, or when negotiating tight loading zones or carparks. This will drastically reduce driver fatigue after a day at the wheel, we reckon.

Iveco says that another benefit from the new steering is that it allowed it to introduce its Proactive Lane Keep Assist, which works with the Lane Departure Warning feature. This was also a feature of the previous model Daily. The Proactive Lane Keep Assist uses a windscreenmounted camera that recognises road markings, and sounds an alarm if the vehicle strays from its lane without the driver first signaling. If this occurs, the system will autonomously intervene and correct the vehicle’s trajectory, putting it back in the centre of the lane.

As we have seen from passenger cars, the electric power steering also means there’s less energy drain from the engine, helping reduce fuel consumption, while also lowering overall weight, and eliminating hydraulic oil leaks from a maintenance and functionality perspective.

Positioning and maneuvering the latest Daily range is also now easier, thanks to Iveco adding high- resolution reversing camera for all van models. The new camera features dynamic lines for extra guidance and provides feedback of the distance to objects at the rear of the vehicles at low speeds (0 to 30km/h). This camera is also offered as an option on cab chassis models in conjunction with standard reversing sensors – these sensors are a first for the light truck cab chassis segment and integrate with the instrument cluster, providing visual distance and acoustic indication.

In the load space, previously black grab handles are now yellow for added visibility and safety.

Further sharpening the modern aesthetics of the Daily, new models feature a revised streamlined grill design with more prominent horizontal louvres, finished in black for manual transmission models and in black with chrome highlights for vehicles equipped with the automatic transmission.

A new shorter ‘shark fin’ style antenna design has also been introduced along with new rear taillights for cab chassis, and

revised number plate lights to provide a further visual lift.

Interior aesthetics have also advanced with the introduction of harmonised white backlighting for all dashboard panels, switches, and the instrument cluster, while a transition to a uniform dark dashboard colour palette with matt chrome finish, provides additional sophistication giving a more premium car- like appearance rather than that of a hard-working commercial vehicle.

For owners wishing to self-shift, Daily introduces a revised 6-speed transmission offering reduced free play and an optimised synchronisation system that delivers a passenger car shift feel. The transmission also reduces servicing costs by increasing oil change intervals from an already generous 150,000km to an impressive 350,000km. Additionally, the new gearbox offers a 0.5 per cent reduction in fuel use over its predecessor.

Gaining inspiration from Iveco’s former Acco models, the new Daily features a three-piece front bumper, meaning each section can be replaced independently if damaged, rather than as a complete unit, which hopefully reduces repair costs.

The updated Daily van range is available in 35S, 50C and 70C variants with single and dual wheel options and volume capacities of 7.3m³, 9m³, 12m³, 16m³, 18m³ and a market-leading 19.6m³. There are also four GVM options starting from a

passenger car friendly 3,800kg and 4,495kg through to a light truck licence 5,200kg and market-leading 7,000kg.

The cab chassis line-up consists of 50C and 70C models in both single and dual cab guise. GVM options start at 4,495kg and extend to 5,200kg, 7,000kg and 7,200kg.

There are also multiple wheelbase options.

Cab chassis models are also available with an expansion module and Power TakeOff. Braked towing capacity for both van and cab chassis models is set at a generous 3,500kg. Selected models are also available with rear airbag suspension and diff lock options.

Powering the range is a choice of three powerful, Euro6 turbodiesel engines beginning with a 2.3l that produces 100kW (136hp) and 350Nm of torque.

For additional power, Iveco also offers a 3.0l engine that outputs 132kW (180hp) and 430Nm, while a higher output variant of this powerplant is also available that produces a market-leading 155kW (210hp) and 470Nm. Our test vehicle is the Daily 35S which continues Iveco’s tradition of offering buyers generous choice.

In this case, there’s standard or optional engines and transmissions plus two roof heights, three wheelbases, four van lengths and four load volumes to choose from when tailoring a vehicle to their specific requirements.

For example, our 35S is powered by the

standard 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel paired with an optional eight-speed automatic transmission and the optional combination of a 3520mm wheelbase with the tallest (H2) 1900mm roof height and 12-cubic metre load volume.

It’s also equipped with two of four optional packs, one of which is the ‘HiTechnology Pack – Auto Transmission’ which includes active driver aids like ‘City Brake’, ‘Queue Assist’, ‘Traction Plus’ and ‘Hill Descent’ plus automatic high-beam control, lane-departure warning and lanekeep assist.

The other is the ‘Hi-Business Pack’ which brings fog lights, LED headlights, open storage with inductive plus USB charge and ‘Hi-Connect’ multimedia system with GPS. And it’s wearing optional 16-inch alloy wheels and ‘Mineral Grey’ metallic paint.

So, although the base 35S list price is $66,734, the ‘as tested’ list price of our example is $79,609 (plus GST and ORCs for both).

The 35S comes standard with 16-inch steel wheels and 235/65R16 tyres with a full-size spare, plus daytime running lights, reversing camera, heated door mirrors, adaptive cruise control, a fully adjustable, heated and suspended driver’s bucket seat, two-passenger bench seat, dash-mounted electronic parking brake, two USB ports plus ample cabin storage and safety tech.

The driver gets a 3.5-inch TFT (aka highresolution) instrument cluster with seven

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screen menus and more than 100 points of information.

Also standard is a four-speaker multimedia system with DAB digital radio and multiple connectivity including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Our test vehicle rode on a robust steel ladder-frame chassis. Front suspension is double-wishbone with a transverse leaf spring and under the tail is a leaf-spring live axle driving the rear wheels.

It has four-wheel disc brakes and the turning circle is a relatively compact 12.7 metres.

Bumpers and lower sections of the bodywork, where most bumps and scrapes occur in hard-working vans, have a practical dark grey finish.

The latest front bumper design consists of three pieces so each section can be replaced independently if damaged rather than the complete unit, to minimise repair costs.

The cabin is separated from the cargo bay by a bulkhead, which minimises noise transmission from the load area and doubles as a cargo barrier. Its central window is protected by sturdy steel-mesh.

With its 2279kg tare weight and 3800kg GVM, our test vehicle had a sizeable 1521kg payload limit.

It’s also rated to tow up to 3500kg of braked trailer and with its 7300kg GCM (or how much it can legally carry and tow at the same time) that means it can tow its maximum trailer weight while carrying its maximum payload.

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The cargo bay (with a laminated load floor in our example) is 3540mm long and 1740mm wide with 1317mm between the wheel housings. That means it can carry up to two standard 1165mm-square Aussie pallets, or up to four 1200 x 800mm Euro pallets.

There are 10 load-anchorage points and its 1900mm internal height contributes to a generous load volume of 12 cubic metres.

A cave-like storage compartment above the cabin is handy for storing straps, ropes, load-padding and more.

Access to the lined cargo bay is via a LHS sliding-door with a 1260mm opening or rear barn-doors which can open to 270-degrees for easy forklift or loading dock access.

Each cargo bay door-opening is equipped with a bright yellow safety handle to assist entry. There’s also internal lighting plus an external LED above the rear doors to provide overhead illumination in poor light conditions.

The cabin has a full-width shelf at roof height and each door offers three tiers of storage, with the largest equipped with small and large bottle-holders.

On top of the dash are two large bins with clamshell lids, plus a central bin with two USB ports and (optional) cordless phone-charging dock. There are also cup/ small-bottle holders on each side of the dash, an open shelf and small glove box on the passenger side plus shelves for smaller items in the centre.

The middle seat’s backrest folds forward to reveal a small work desk on the back of it, complete with spring-loaded document clamp.

This desk platform can be raised to reveal a padded compartment below it that’s ideal for storing pens and slender electronic devices (phones, iPads etc).

Both base cushions in the passenger seat can also be tilted forward to access a cavernous hidden storage area beneath, so there’s no shortage of places to carry stuff in this cabin.

The 35S is powered by a refined and economical 2.3-litre, four-cylinder, turbodiesel which meets Euro 6 emissions standards using AdBlue. It produces a modest 100kW at 3600rpm and 350Nm of torque at 1500rpm.

In our test vehicle was paired with Iveco’s optional ZF eight-speed torque converter automatic, which offers a choice of ‘Eco’ or ‘Power’ modes and sequential-manual shifting. It also has overdrive on the seventh and eighth gears to optimise fuel economy, particularly during highway use.

The Iveco’s dash readout was claiming average consumption of only 10.7L/100km when we stopped to refuel at the completion of our test, which included hauling a heavy payload and regular switching between Eco and Power modes.

Our own figure, calculated from fuel bowser and tripmeter readings, was a very frugal 9.0L/100km. That’s better than many dual cab utes and large SUVs and

commendable for a sizeable commercial vehicle weighing more than 2.3 tonnes fuelled.

So, based on our figures, you could achieve a real-world driving range of around 1000km from its big 100-litre tank.

It’s easy to climb aboard using the handles on the windscreen pillars. Driver accommodation is excellent, given the heated driver’s seat also has its own weightadjustable suspension system, inboard armrest, and adjustable lumbar support/ base-cushion rake, combined with the twoway adjustable steering wheel.

The windscreen offers a panoramic view and there are clear eyelines to the door mirrors, in which the lower sections are fitted with wide-angle lenses. Controls are easy to see, reach and use.

The Daily sits well on the road and is stable when cornering, however the ride can be a little harsh over bumps.

We didn’t detect much of a difference in engine response between the Eco and Power modes but the smooth-shifting and intelligent eight-speed auto works well, automatically downshifting when it detects wheel-braking, particularly on downhills, to assist with engine-braking.

The new ‘city mode’ to reduce low-speed steering effort is excellent when negotiating tight spots typically encountered during delivery and service work.

The steering wheel can literally be turned with a finger or two, reducing fatigue for drivers that regularly need to tackle these

manoeuvres.

Engine and tyre noise are low at highway speeds, which combined with the bulkhead creates a cabin environment in which conversations can take place without raised voices. Wind-buffeting around the big door mirrors is the most noticeable intrusion.

The adaptive cruise control also works well, particularly in maintaining the set speed on long downhill stretches which is most welcome in a world of ever-increasing speed cameras.

Commercial vehicles are not eligible for ANCAP ratings but the 35S is equipped with numerous standard safety features including driver, passenger and curtain airbags, AEB, a suite of nine electronic stability programs and more.

Standard warranty is a relatively short three years/200,000km but the option of up to five years/300,000km is available at extra cost.

Scheduled servicing is every 50,000km/12 months, whichever occurs first. Iveco offers a range of maintenance agreements to help owners manage maintenance costs.

The latest Daily 35S van, in our test vehicle’s specification, combines good driver comfort with proficient load-hauling ability, useful cargo volume and excellent fuel economy. It has its shortcomings, like any vehicle, but is a well-designed and competent all-rounder worthy of consideration for those wanting a large commercial van that can be driven with a car licence.

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Case Study

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NATIONAL MULTI-MODAL TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS COMPANY SCT SAYS IT IS REAPING THE BENEFITS OF ITS NEWLY INTRODUCED FLEET OF SCANIA SUPER PRIME MOVERS FOR ITS VICTORIAN BUSINESS. THE COMPANY SAYS ITS NEW TRUCKS ARE DELIVERING DOUBLE-DIGIT FUEL SAVINGS COMPARED WITH THE SCANIA PRIME MOVERS THEY HAVE REPLACED. WE TAKE A LOOK AT SCT’S NEW SCANIA FLEET. www.truckandbus.net.au 039

S

CT provides its customers with a service that it says reflects integrity, innovation and value at all times, as well as providing its employees with an environment where commitment and excellence are encouraged and promoted.

The company offers a full complement of transport and logistics services, including rail and road linehaul services, refrigerated transport services, contract management, distribution centre design and development and tailored solutions including bulk haulage.

SCT is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and is a national, multi-modal transport and logistics company. From the early days as an East / West rail

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operator, SCT has grown to have branches throughout Australia. With offices in every major capital city as well as regional locations in Queensland and New South Wales, SCT can service transport requirements to every destination in Australia.

In ensuring its fleet is as efficient as possible and up to date with the latest technology for both safety and efficiency the company is updating its fleet with the latest Scania Super models, having taken delivery of 10 new 560 R Supers and four 460 G Super prime movers for its Victorian operations.

SCT Logistics national fleet manager, Michael Sommers, says these new trucks

have replaced 14 older PGR-series Scanias including some V8-powered vehicles.

“The fuel efficiency and torque performance improvement has been impressive. We are receiving weekly fleet reports through the Scania management system, which is handy for keeping a close eye on how the vehicles are performing,” Sommers said.

“The 460 hp prime movers are pulling single trailers, usually PUD refrigerated units around Melbourne, typically carrying frozen and chilled food for supermarkets as well as general freight, while the 560 Rs will be running as 68.5-tonne B-double Tautliner transports under mass management from our rail depots to

customers, as well as in reverse,” he added.

“We had quite a good run with the PGR trucks, but the technology has moved on and so after seven years it is time to bring on replacements. We had a new Super prime mover on loan for a week and we were quite impressed with it. The drivers loved it.

“As with the previous Scanias, we have taken the 14 new vehicles on a full repair and maintenance contract, and we have purchased the vehicles through Scania’s in-house financing arm,” he said.

“Scania is very proactive with the fleet management side of things, for example scheduling servicing, which we have undertaken at their Laverton branch. We

value the repair and servicing contracts because if anything needs to be rectified, Scania will arrange it and complete the work. The contract requires us just to make one monthly payment, so we can –budget effectively with full cost visibility over the term, and we don’t need our own workshop, so we see it as a win-win for us,” Michael said.

“We don’t cover huge distances in these trucks – the G-series will do about 30,000 km a year and the R-series about twice that.

However, we don’t keep ‘spare’ trucks on the fleet so uptime, reliability and efficient servicing is very important to us.

“We have a fairly stable group of staff and agency drivers and we like to keep

them paired to individual trucks. Comfort is a key feature that reduces fatigue and promotes safety, especially when drivers are waiting to load or unload, so we specified Scania’s factory-fitted auxiliary coolers.

Because these are battery-powered the truck doesn’t need to idle the engine and burn fuel unnecessarily in order to keep the cab cool or warm,” Michael said.

“Safety is a key focus for us, and for our customers, so the Scanias fulfil these requirements with their many advanced safety systems, as well as fully transparent servicing via the fleet management system.”

“With the global push for renewable fuel sources, we are after the lowest emission

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impact vehicles around, and with alternate fuel supplied vehicles such as electric and hydrogen still a little way off for larger vehicles, we aim to strive for as close to zero emissions as possible,” Michael said.

Scania national fleet sales manager, Phillip Mayfield said he was pleased to be renewing the SCT fleet of trucks.

“We have already seen significant doubledigit savings in fuel consumption since the new Super trucks commenced with SCT. The new engine technology in the Scania Super is living up to its promise and delivering lower operating costs as well as lower emissions. Plus, we can see appreciable driver benefits from the auxiliary cab heating and cooling system, powered by batteries rather than by diesel.

“While the previous fleet of trucks

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did not cover huge distances, they did spend seven years in congested traffic in and around Melbourne, and they came through in really good shape. In fact, the trucks were so well looked after, SCT retained 11 of the trucks after the end of their lease period for use in other areas of their business, and would have taken the remaining trucks had they not already have been sold on,” Mayfield said.

“With these 14 new Scania SUPER trucks, SCT is finding out just how efficient and effective the new generation Scania powertrain and driveline really is, and how well suited they are to Australian operations.”

SCT says it is committed to providing and maintaining a work environment that is safe and without risk to the health

of employees, contractors, labour-hire employees and visitors. Clearly the latest Scania Super models are part of that commitment with all of the latest safety technology already built into the Swedish trucks.

The company says that in order to continually improve safety, SCT has achieved and maintained numerous accreditations, including achieving ISO45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System accreditation, which it says demonstrates a commitment to continually improving its safety culture.

SCT has also achieved National Heavy Vehicle Accreditation (NHVAS), Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) and a bronze level in the Ecovadis Sustainability Rating 2023.

CHARGED AND READY. Introducing the all-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros and eEconic

Overseas model shown. and Mercedes-Benz are trademarks of Mercedes-Benz Group AG.

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Case Study

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FINAL MILE FREIGHT DELIVERY IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH VANS OR LIGHT TRUCKS DROPPING OFF SMALL PARCELS IN URBAN AREAS, BUT WHEN THE FREIGHT HAS TWO, FOUR, SIX OR EVEN MORE WHEELS, OTHER DELIVERY SOLUTIONS ARE NEEDED. WE TAKE A LOOK AT AUTO LOGISTICS OPERATION PRIXCAR SERVICES AND ITS NEW MOVE MY WHEELS DIVISION

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M

ove My Wheels is a part of prominent auto logistics group, PrixCar Services, and has been developed to further diversify its parent company’s offerings by including single vehicle enclosed and open transportation services for clients.

These capabilities are perfect for delivering vehicles from transport hubs to owners following relocations, or to minimise kilometres travelled for unique and high value vehicles on the way to exhibitions or race meets.

The smaller medium duty trucks used for this application allow Move My Wheels to safely reach locations where articulated car carriers would struggle to access.

Following increased demand from

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customers, the company’s single vehicle and specialised transport capabilities have subsequently been bolstered with the addition of new Iveco Eurocargos, which have become a key part of the fleet entrusted to meet this growth area.

Iveco also plays a key role in the PrixCar fleet with many of the prime movers used to haul those aforementioned articulated and multi-car delivery rigs.

For enclosed transport, Move My Wheels began with an ML120, and further bolstered the ranks in the months after with two more Iveco trucks. For the open transport service, the company purchased a Eurocargo again to provided a solution.

Move My Wheels took delivery of this new variant in recent weeks, Equipped with a

nine metre tilt tray body.

The ML120 models feature 280hp Euro6 engines matched to a 12-speed automated manual transmission, while the trucks’ six metre Pantech-style bodies provide double door access to the cargo area on both sides of the truck, while single piece, fold down rear tailgates make it more efficient to load and unload vehicles.

The tilt-tray bodied Eurocargo ML140 models also feature 280hp engines, but this time they are coupled to Allison fully automatic transmissions, which were added to the fleet to allow Move My Wheels to broaden the types of vehicles it could transport, including large, fully accessorised four-wheel drives, oversized pick-up trucks and even prime movers.

For greater versatility, the trays feature a slide function and are fitted with winches to make it easier to collect non-running vehicles.

PrixCar national fleet manager, Goran Koviloski, said the Eurocargo specification aligned well with the application, while also allowing the two body fitment options on the same general platform.

“The Eurocargo is a great mid-size truck that met a lot of our requirements for this type of work,” Koviloski said.

“With a low chassis height, we have the potential to run taller loads especially on the tilt-trays, and we also shift the centre of gravity closer to the road for improved stability and safety.

“An option that we went for in all of the Eurocargos was the rear airbag suspension

– we are transporting high-value cargo and being able to have a smoother ride is critical to the safe transport of the vehicle, it’s an area we are always looking at,” he explained.

In keeping with its parent company’s emphasis on having a sleek and professionally presented fleet, the Move My Wheels Eurocargos share the same striking silver, black and blue livery as PrixCar’s heavy duty trucks, while also being fitted with polished alloy bull bars and other cabin embellishments.

Koviloski said it was important for Move My Wheels to provide its drivers with a safe and comfortable working environment.

“We like to go above and beyond for our drivers, they’re appreciative of a nice working environment,” he said.

“The trucks look sharp, so our operators are proud to drive them; in the case of our Eurocargos, the journeys may be short, but we pride ourselves on our fatigue management policies and education here at PrixCar and Move My Wheels; the addition of a bunk and cabin fridge allows our drivers to rest comfortably when it’s time for a break.

“The Eurocargo, like the bigger S-Way has a broad capability and can be adapted to suit the demands of our business quickly and easily.

“This platform flexibility is a key strength of the trucks IVECO is rolling out at the moment, and one that supports us in our line of work where no two days or trailer loads are the same,” Koviloski added.

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Over the last 30 years PrixCar Services has become a leader in the automotive logistics industry, specialising in vehicle transport, vehicle processing and storage, fleet conversions and dealer vehicle storage.

In that time it has also grown to offer a wide range of specialised services including damage surveys, paint and panel rectifications, vehicle build ups, including fleet conversions, vehicle storage, PDI services, detailing, vehicle registrations, and of course vehicle transport. The company operates more than 25 depots across Australia, and says it is ideally positioned to provide vehicle transport services to both individuals and OEM customers.

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PrixCar Services is owned by K Line Auto Logistics and the shares of PrixCar are divided between shipping giant “K” Line Australia and QUBE Logistics Holdings.

“K” Line is a leading international shipping company with offices in each of the world’s major automotive trade centres in an operation that includes more than 50 specialised vehicle carriers throughout the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and the Americas.

QUBE Logistics Holdings is well known and diversified logistics and infrastructure company with operating divisions providing logistics services for clients in both import and export cargo supply chains.

PrixCar says that with the backing of its industry leading shareholders, it is able to access a global network and provide a ‘One Stop’ end-to-end vehicle logistics service, with the vision of becoming the most trusted automotive logistics services provider in Australia.

The company says its mission it to create value by delivering flexible, trusted and diversified business solutions within the automotive logistics sector, and says its values shape everything that it does.

Clearly PrixCar and its new iteration, Move My Wheels does things properly a glance at the gleaming vehicle transport trucks and how they are equipped bears that out.

A SMALL STEP ON OUR PATH TO CHANGE FROM 2021, ALL CASTROL PRODUCTS WE SELL IN AUSTRALIA ARE

COMMITTED TO CARBON NEUTRALITY IN ACCORDANCE WITH PAS 2060** A SMALL STEP TOWARDS A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

* **

in accordance with PAS 2060, see www.castrol.com/cneutral for more information.

The C02e emissions are calculated in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s Product Life Cycle Standard and includes life cycle emissions. The demonstration of carbon neutrality will be assured by an Independent Third-Party and certified to BSI’s PAS 2060 carbon neutral specification. See www.castrol.com/cneutral for more information.

LCV

LDV CURRENT THINKING WHEN YOU READ STORIES ABOUT ELECTRIC CAR BEHEMOTH TESLA HITTING SALES TURBULENCE IN RECENT TIMES, THE REASON GIVEN IS MOSTLY BECAUSE ELECTRIC VEHICLES FROM CHINA HAVE TAKEN MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF MARKET SHARE FROM THE US BRAND. JUST AS WITH ELECTRIC PASSENGER CARS, CHINA IS PUSHING AHEAD WITH AN ARRAY OF ELECTRIC COMMERCIAL VEHICLES. THE LDV BRAND WAS AMONGST THE FIRST TO BRING AN ELECTRIC UTE TO THIS COUNTRY. THAT WAS A BIT UNDERWHELMING BUT LDV HAS RECENTLY LAUNCHED AN ELECTRIC VAN TO OUR SHORES. WE TOOK THE LDV EDELIVER7 FOR A SPIN AROUND SYDNEY’S BUSY ROAD NETWORK RECENTLY TO SEE HOW IT PERFORMS.

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he arrival of LDV’s new eDeliver7 battery electric van came with a bit of a splash with the brand saying that it has been priced at a level to convince buyers to think twice before choosing a diesel van over the zero emission alternative.

LDV Australia boss Dinesh Chinappa says that fleets will be the focus for the new electric midsize van, the eDeliver 7, which will debut on the Australian market at a starting price for ABN holders of $59,990 before on road costs.

While that is around $10,000 more than many top selling diesel vans like the Toyota HiAce, it is highly competitive for a full battery electric van, and Chinappa says it has been deliberately positioned to be attractive to fleets because with its ongoing

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total ownership operating costs it will make business buyers think twice before choosing a new diesel van instead.

The eDeliver 7 starts from $59,990 before on-road costs for ABN holders, with an array of variants available, and LDV’s team argues that the electric van is competitive, if not compelling, for its ongoing ownership costs, and the total cost of ownership for fleet buyers.

Chinappa doesn’t think the eDeliver 7 will appeal to small businesses and owner operator couriers but for medium size companies.

“Supply won’t be an issue with the eDeliver 7 we will get as many as we want and I believe initially we will sell hundreds of them a month,” said Chinappa.

“I reckon the price might not be in the

sweet spot for small business and owner operators, but we are speaking to some medium-sized enterprises with big fleets of vehicles around the country that could be ready to move to an electric van,” he said “We now fall into the category where fleet managers can sit back and look at this thing and say this is the right price for them, and they can actually justify buying this thing commercially and operating it, while also achieving their climate change and social responsibilities, as well as their corporate objectives,” he added.

“Fleet buyers think differently to private customers, with longer-term projections and perspectives in mind,” he said.

“When you look at the commercial viability of this van, you’re looking at a premium to a Toyota HiAce, circa 15 per cent.”

“As soon as you run your eye over the cost of fuel versus the cost of electricity, servicing costs; electric versus diesel maintenance costs, service intervals of two years and as soon as you start doing the algorithms around the cost of ownership, you’ll start to see that serious fleet operators are going to be able to say, you know what, this is starting to make sense,” Chinappa said.

Ateco Group executive chair Neville Crichton said the eDeliver 7 van was a turning point for the business.

“This is the first LDV that’s actually designed, ground-up, as an electric car,” said Neville Crichton.

“We’ve got the pricing right, we think we’ve got the package incredibly good. And as Dinesh said, the volumes, I think you will be astounded,” he said.

The brand is set to offer the eDeliver 7 electric van range with two battery pack options, two wheelbase choices, and two roof height choices.

But the range will also expand later in 2024 or early in 2025 with the addition of a diesel model known as Deliver 7 – a move that will potentially offer those owneroperators who can’t justify the immediate expense of the electric van to get into the newer-generation model range.

A similar rollout will play out once more with the new LDV electric ute, codenamed GST, to launch early in 2025, followed by a diesel version about 12 months later.

The pricing of the eDeliver 7 currently only has one rival in the market, the Mercedes-Benz eVito which it undercuts by more than $30,000 for the entry level model

and around $25,000 for the top spec model.

Given its strong warranty protection, impressive driving performance and very good driver interface and cockpit design, the eDeliver 7 presents some very attractive credentials for operators looking to switch to a zero emission van alternative, even though it costs more than its diesel powered rivals from Toyota, Hyundai and Ford.

What it does offer is quite large operating cost savings.

LDV is offering a five year/160,000 km warranty and an eight year/250,000km battery pack warranty which should satisfy those who might be nervous about the LDV’s durability and longevity.

Along with that LDV is offering cappedprice servicing for six years/90,000km, for a grand total of around $1165 a fraction of

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the service cost for diesel vans LDV is also pointing to the reduced downtime as a result of the extended service intervals the eDeliver 7 offers, with some of its rivals needing to be serviced every six months, resulting in valuable work time being lost while it’s at the dealer for maintenance.

The eDeliver 7 comes in three variants, short wheel-base, standard roof, long wheel-base, standard roof and long wheelbase, high roof, with the choice of either a 77kW model or a larger 88 kW version.

The equipment levels are high in the eDeliver 7 with cloth seat trim across the three seat bench of the cabin, with the two outer seats ( driver and left hand passenger ) both heated as is the steering wheel. It also boasts an impressive 12.3-inch touchscreen media system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as keyless entry and

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push-button start, automatic LED headlights, daytime running lights and tail-lights, rain-sensing wipers, 16-inch steel wheels, a full-size spare, tyre pressure monitoring, and vinyl flooring in the cabin and full length rubber flooring in the rear cargo area.

One disappointment is the lack of rear cargo accessibility options. Unlike many of its rivals the LDV eDeliver 7 only offers a left hand side sliding door and rear barn doors . There is no option for a right hand sider sliding door to the cargo area, or for a rear hatch door, which may be a problem for some operators needing flexibility.

We had the chance for a drive in the LDV e Deliver 7 from LDV’s HQ at Ateco Australia’s facility in Lidcombe in Sydney inner’s west to a location on the North Shore and return, covering freeway, suburban and highway driving. It was the sort of drive that a van like this would be

called upon to handle every day of the week and we came away pretty impressed with the performance, handling and overall comfort of the eDeliver 7.

The van has a firm ride, which would probably benefit from a load on board, thanks partly to the suspension set up, which includes leaf springs at the rear, and also probably due to its battery packs being underneath the floor giving it a low centre of gravity but quite a heavy mass down low over bumps and thumps. The LWB model was a bit nicer over bumps in unladen configuration, but as we said a load on board would smooth it out, we reckon.

It has nice accurate steering and is very responsive to both steering input and throttle application and feels stable and well-mannered across the speed range.

The EV drivetrain is silent and smooth, powering the van to cruising pace with

ease, despite not having a load, although I don’t think a load would worry the eDeliver 7 too much. This is a van so the drumming noise from the empty rear load area is there, as it is in most vans but, it’s not too bad and generally this is a quiet and civilised ride.

LDV is quoting a charge time to take it from 5-100per cent on a domestic AC plug of, eight hours for the 77kW model, given it has an 11kW maximum AC charging capability, and for the 88kWh, having the same 11kW max charge capacity, it will take about 9hrs20mins.

A DC charger makes an enormous difference with the 77kWh model able to charge at up to 78kW and the 88kW version charged at up to 90kW. That means that both the big and small battery versions can be charged from 20 to 80 per cent in about 43 minutes.

The payload capacity of the eDeliver7 runs from 1175kg for the SWB standard roof up to 1350kg for the LWB high roof, so a pretty reasonable capability for a van in this class.

During our drive the SWB version used an average of 22.2 KWh/100km, while the LWB model used around 23.7kWh/100km.

That seems pretty good to us, but that is of course unladen so it would be higher if filled with freight or tools.

So, you might expect to see worse energy consumption than we experienced (SWB Low Roof 22.1kWh/100km) if you load it up to the max capacity.

The LWB High Roof had the bigger battery and showed a range of just a shade under 400km when we climbed aboard and still had plenty of charge by the time we arrived back at LDV HQ. The SWB model with the smaller battery

had a range of about 350 km and on the way out to the half-way point performed admirably, with only about 50km wiped off the range for a 60 km city and suburban trot.

The near effortless delivery of power that comes from an electric driveline, and the urgent torque delivery that comes when you push hard down on the throttle means that the eDelivery 7 is a delight to drive in city traffic . The van has three power modes, Eco, Normal and Power. Eco still delivers great urge under acceleration with good economy, normal is just a little bit better in terms of power and Power delivers quite amazing performance, but with the cost of a faster increase in power usage.

We think that Dinesh Chinappa is right, the eDeliver 7 presents a compelling case for those seeking an electric delivery or tradie van and at the price we reckon they will sell hundreds a month.

www.truckandbus.net.au 053

SAFER CLEANER CONNECTED THAT’S ANOTHER HINO

THE 700 SERIES, BUILT FOR THE FUTURE. XAVIER_HINO39678

The Hino 700 Series rewrites the rules in safety, emissions and connectivity. It’s our safest truck ever, with an enhanced Hino SmartSafe package including Pre-Collision System, Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Warning System

and Driver Monitor. Designed to meet Euro 6 exhaust emission standards, it’s the cleanest Hino heavy-duty yet.

With Hino-Connect on board, benefit from superior business intel and support, it’s next-generation telematics delivered in real-time. The 700 Series is the truck of the future, here today. Find out more at hino.com.au