The Shift to Electric Vehicles in Australia
As global fuel costs continue to rise, a Central Coast business is leading the charge in electrifying Australia’s heavy vehicle fleet. Lex Forsyth, who has spent decades in the fuel industry, now runs Janus Electric, a company that converts diesel trucks to electric power. His approach involves modular, swappable battery systems and charging infrastructure made in Australia.
The cost of converting a single truck can reach $175,000, with additional expenses for charging equipment and spare batteries pushing the total closer to $750,000. However, Mr. Forsyth notes that an increasing number of trucking companies are showing interest in transitioning their fleets to electric due to the current fuel crisis.
“We were talking to one operator yesterday, his fuel bill has gone up by $350,000 a week, and he’s forecasting next week it’ll be closer to half a million dollars increase in his weekly fuel bill,” he said.
Mr. Forsyth’s company uses a battery swap system, but he believes government support is crucial to making the infrastructure more viable. He mentioned that four years ago, they took their first electric truck to Canberra, but have not heard from authorities since.
He also emphasized the need to better utilize excess daytime solar energy. “Any trucking operator that’s parking a truck up during the middle of the day to get recharged is probably going to go out of business … so we’ve got to store this energy with swappable batteries,” he added.
Challenges in Transitioning to Electric Trucks
Elnaz Irannezhad, a senior lecturer in Transport Engineering at UNSW, acknowledges that transitioning to electric trucks is feasible but faces several challenges. One major issue is battery weight, which limits the amount of freight that can be carried.
“In order to accommodate the battery weight, you have to load less freight basically,” Dr. Irannezhad explained. “They’d have to load the vehicle about four tonnes or four-point-five tonnes less on battery electric trucks to meet the compliance requirements, and when you’re talking about productivity, that’s one of the issues.”
Despite these challenges, she stressed the importance of energy diversity. “The scarcity as well as the price is not going to come down soon, so it necessitates looking at alternative options; hydrogen, battery, absolutely,” she said.
Dr. Irannezhad predicts that by 2050, less than 20 per cent of Australian trucks will be electric, citing the industry’s continued reliance on diesel despite geopolitical tensions.
Companies Making Changes
The Smart Energy Council sees a faster transition to electric vehicles. General manager Tim Lamacraft noted that companies like IKEA are already using electric trucks, and more will follow. “Yes, there must be changes to regulation and potentially legislation to get more electric trucks on the road due to their weight, but the reality is, it’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when,” he said.
Another sector grappling with fuel shortages is rubbish collection, which is exploring alternative fuels such as used food oil. However, electric trucks still present challenges, according to Gayle Sloan, CEO of the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association.
“We pull like six tonnes on average, and the trucks often can’t stay long enough to do the routes, and the recharging isn’t quick enough,” she said. “We tend to do about a thousand to fifteen hundred bins per run, over a three- or four-hour route, and then we go back out again. It doesn’t actually work for us electrically as yet.”
Success Stories and Future Prospects
Dan Bleakley, co-founder and co-CEO of New Energy Transport, highlighted the efficiency and cost savings of electric trucks. His company recently completed Australia’s first end-to-end fully electric delivery, transporting consumer goods from Sydney to Canberra.
“The all-electric prime mover completed the route 25 minutes faster than a diesel truck … and energy costs were reduced by about 85 per cent compared to diesel,” he said.
On the trucks’ range, he noted that the Windrose Prime Mover used for the delivery had completed 670 kilometres on a single charge in overseas trials and 480km locally from Picton to Beresfield and back. He also mentioned that megawatt charging allows high-speed charging in excess of 1,000 kilowatts.
“Basically, you could drive for five or six hours, stop for lunch or a break, charge the truck for an hour, and then do another five or six hours,” he said.
Mr. Bleakley noted a surge in inquiries from both customers and investors as businesses look to adopt electric trucks. He is taking the electric prime mover to Parliament House in Canberra on Monday as part of a showcase.
