ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND
VIEWS FROM ACROSS THE
GOVT. REVEALS ELECTRIC VEHICLE STRATEGY / SEA NAMES NEW PRES. / DAIMLE R
GLOBE
ZF’S NEW ELECTRIC DRIVELINE AT HEART OF NEW ISUZU ELECTRICS
LAUNCHES RIZON / ZF’S NEW ELECTRIC DRIVELINE
TRUCK INDUSTRY ANNOYED AT LACK OF HEAVY COMMERCIAL DETAIL IN GOVERNMENT ELECTRIC VEHICLE STRATEGY together to change legislation that
The HVIA says that it is a position that
will allow these vehicles to operate here in Australia,” he added. Merrick explained that the lack of
is unilaterally supported by industry associations, manufacturers, and all
political decisiveness on the issue is hindering investment decisions, and needlessly shackling Australia’s economy. “The stakes are too high to ignore this issue any longer,” he said. “I call on all levels of government to create a taskforce to deal with this LEADING TRUCK MANUFACTURER, Volvo has expressed dismay at the lack of a clear strategy for zero emission commercial vehicles in the Federal Government’s first National Electric Vehicle Strategy which was announced
as well charging networks, and a range of other issues, otherwise we will not be in a position to meet Volvo Group’s target of 30 per cent zero emission vehicles by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2040,” said the Volvo spokesperson.
by Minister Chris Bowen recently. T&TA approached other truck
“It is very disappointing, particularly with
manufacturers for comment on the
the lack of clarity on vehicle weights and
Government national Electric Vehicle Strategy but Volvo was the only maker to respond.
standards with zero emission trucks,” the spokesperson said. Backing this up, Volvo Group Australia
The lack of detail on heavy commercial vehicles in the strategy
president, Martin Merrick speaking
flies in the face of the fact that the national heavy vehicle fleet currently
at the launch of Australian Heavy Vehicle Industry Week in late April, provided crucial insights from
accounts for about four per cent of the total vehicle fleet, but are
the manufacturer’s perspective, emphasising his company will not
responsible for about 25 per cent of the transport emissions. A spokesman for the Volvo Group told
meet its zero emission vehicle target in Australia if action is not taken by
us News that it was disappointing
the government. “Volvo Trucks now have a full range of
that the National EV Strategy did not have any clear guidance for heavy commercial transport which needs
heavy-duty electric vehicles that we intend to launch in Australia this year, with a view to manufacturing these
some serious regulatory changes and
vehicles right here in Brisbane by
incentives to ensure targets for zero emission are met. “The industry needs considerations
2027,” Martin Merrick said. “However – let me be clear – these targets will not be met, unless we
on such things as front axle weights,
have all levels of government working
010 www.truckandbus.net.au
issue as a matter of urgency. “This is not a Volvo problem; this is a zero-emissions future problem; this is an industry-wide problem,” the straight talking Volvo boss said. The Brisbane based Heavy Vehicle Industry Association ( HVIA) also reacted strongly yesterday, backing up what the Volvo Group said, however the Truck Industry Council
suppliers to the road freight transport industry. In its submission on the draft National Electric Vehicle strategy in 2022, HVIA said it highlighted the need for a review of heavy vehicle steer axle mass limits. “Allowing heavier electric and hydrogen trucks is vital in opening up access to new low and zeroemissions heavy vehicles,” HVIA’s National Policy and Government Relations manager, Greg Forbes, said at the time. HVIA’s chief technical officer, Adam Ritzinger, detailed the technical need for steer axle mass limits review and proposed four practical actions that can be implemented by regulators
THE COMMERCIAL Vehicle Solutions division of global transmission and
and the Americas. The production started in Friedrichshafen, using the
Systems with ZF’s Commercial Vehicle Solutions division.
leveraged in-house developed components and wider eMobility
drive components company, ZF’ has announced that it has started
Groups competence coming from passenger car technology.
“Designed for silent, emission-free inner-city and ‘last mile’ freight
system synergies including sharing test benches in Friedrichshafen.
production of its new CeTrax lite electric central drive.
One of the first customers, is Japanese manufacturer and
delivery, CeTrax lite provides leading levels of performance and efficiency.
The CeTrax driveline has been designed for light commercial vehicles
ZF’s CVS division says it has used synergies from ZF’s development and
Australian truck market leader Isuzu, which has said it will install the drive
As such it represents an important new milestone in our ‘Next Generation
up to 7.5 Tons, and has a peak performance of 150 kW and a torque
production of passenger car electric drives to develop the new driveline
in its new ELF EV trucks, set to make their debut at the Tokyo Motor Show
Mobility’ strategy and reinforces our commitment to decarbonisation of the
of 1,500 Nm. The company says it has optimised compact design of the
and to adapt it for use in light commercial trucks.
in October this year. “As an electric central drive, CeTrax
industry,” added Gründler. ZF said that the new driveline would
CeTrax lite to help maximise space for electric components and batteries.
Designed as a highly integrated electric drive, ZF says CeTrax lite provides significant advantages for
lite allows our customers to electrify their existing vehicle platforms. This proves our technical approach
provide a smart ‘turn-key’ solution to support the needs of light-duty commercial vehicles, saying that the
The company says that the module is a fully integrated system, housing the
manufacturers worldwide, particularly
and further demonstrates the trust
technology supports the architectures
electric motor as well as a singlespeed transmission stage and power
supporting emission-free urban and ‘last mile’ deliveries. The technology has already received orders from Asia
customers are placing in our electric solutions,” said Winfried Gründler, head of product line for Driveline
of conventionally fuelled vehicles as well as manufacturers’ electrification strategies. ZF added that it has
electronics. In addition to its enhanced flexibility, the system offers a lightweight design at around 120 kg.
build battery factories in the Unites States is a challenge because of the current U.S.-China political tensions. The world’s biggest electric carmaker said in its paper on
per charge using nickel-based
vehicles, Model 3 and Model Y,
batteries. Tesla previously said it will also launch a 600-km range version. The automaker said its proposed small electric passenger cars will
without giving a timeline. Currently, Tesla uses nickel-based batteries for most of its Model 3
“Master Plan Part 3”released last
use LFP batteries with capacity of
phosphate (LFP) battery technology dominated by Chinese suppliers,
week that it will use LFP batteries for “short-range” heavy electric trucks, which it calls “Semi Light,”
53 kilowatt-hours (kWh), versus 75 kWh for Model Y and Model 3. Tesla said last month that it will cut
without providing details, such asa launch date.
assembly costs by half in future generations of cars, which will
Last December Tesla started to
be built at its factories in Mexico and elsewhere, saying it will also
TESLA BRINGS IN THE BIG IRON
which purports to be the peak industry body for truck manufacturers has not made any public statements so far.
right now. “We are on a path to becoming the highest emitting industry in Australia
The HVIA said in its statement
if nothing is done,” he said.
yesterday that the heavy vehicle industry’s position on the regulatory changes needed to support next-
He called on road managers such as state roads authorities and councils to urgently classify roads based on their
generation Zero-Emissions Vehicles (ZEVs) is clear but needs urgent action
current structural capacity, leading to the development of networks that can
by the Government and its policy and regulatory agencies.
support the heavier axles of zeroemissions trucks.
“Current truck axle load limits are too low,” said HVIA chief executive,
“The only missing piece is the regulatory framework to support us.
Todd Hacking. “If not addressed, they will completely strangle efforts to decarbonise
“HVIA urgently calls on government mass regulatory reform,” Hacking said.
saying in March, that the vast majority of the heavy lifting for
the industry, preventing it from
“The ongoing contribution of the industry to Australia’s economy and
electrification will be done by ironbased cells.”
emissions reduction targets is at stake,” he concluded.
However, having Chinese suppliers
contributing to Australia’s mandated emissions reductions targets,” Hacking said.
at all levels to accelerate truck axle
TESLA has said it plans to expand the use of cheaper, iron-based batteries to a version of its Semi heavy electric trucks as well as in an affordable electric vehicle. Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has championed the lithium iron
deliver its Semi electric trucks with a claimed longer, 800km driving range
use LFP batteries in its mid-sized
and Model Y vehicles sold in the United States. Musk and other LFP advocates cited the abundance and cheaper prices of iron as a key factor outweighing the drawbacks that have held back the adoption of LFP cells globally. They are bigger and heavier, and generally hold less energy than nickel-based cells, giving them a shorter range.
www.truckandbus.net.au 011
