Electric vehicles are becoming a common sight in most countries around the world. and for a good reason, this trend is going to continue increasing. But the electrification of one segment of the market – the commercial vehicles, especially from medium to heavy vehicles was seen as very complicated and demanding. Continue reading as we explore the electric trucks New Zealand market and the best options that are available to buy.
The CV segment has vehicles that operate in an extremely diverse range of tasks, unlike the passenger car segment. Moreover, many of these vehicles have operating cycles that require hundreds of kilometres of travel carrying heavy loads on a daily basis. There is not going to be a one-size-fits-all solution. Hence, bringing electrification to CVs would require a lot of effort from both the governments and industries from around the world. But, despite all the hurdles the electromobility options in CVs are increasing at a decent pace.
As we push the technological boundaries to address climate change, bringing more sustainable forms of transport, the cost of EVs has dropped significantly. Also, there are drastic improvements in their operating range, performance and reliability.
Here you can find a list of all the best battery-operated electric trucks that are available in New Zealand.
Scania BEV Truck Series
The Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer has its zero-emissions vehicles powered by different methods in several countries. Scania’s BEV range of L and P cab type with a max GTW of 29 tonnes is available in the UK.
Wheel configurations of 4×2, 6×2 and 6×2*4 with axle distances from 3950 to 5750 mm are available for varying requirements.
Further, up to 9 Li-ion batteries can fit all axle options with distances over 4350 mm to get a capacity of 300 kWh. While there is also an option to use 5 batteries for distances above 3950 mm for a capacity of 165 kWh.
Additionally, the batteries can be charged with a CCS type 2 connection of up to 130 kW/ 200A DC fast charging.
Etrucks New Zealand
Etrucks is an Electric vehicle company in New Zealand. The company offers a wide range of electrically operated vehicles that can address various needs of the market.
E700
Of their big line-up, the E700 are heavy-duty trucks for the New Zealand market. These trucks come in 6×4 tractor and 8×4 truck versions. The manufacturing of these vehicles is in XCMG factories in China.
The batteries of these trucks are of LFP technology, known for their reliability. Swapping these batteries requires only about 5 minutes – a very important feature, for wider acceptance of electromobility in CVs.
XGE90 Mining Dump Truck
This is a big all-electric mining truck with a massive GVW of 90 tonnes. The cab-chassis tare weight is around 35 tonnes and is available in 6×4.
Batteries of up to 422 kWh along with regenerative braking functionality give the truck a good operating range.
Also, these trucks are compatible with DC fast-charging, which greatly reduces charging times of the huge batteries
TFT125 Mining Dump Truck
Again, this is another mining dump truck from the company which has a GVW of 49 tonnes. The cab-chassis tare weight is around 19.5 tonnes and is available in 6×4.
Up to 350kWh battery capacity along with regenerative braking optimizes the operating range of the truck. 6-speed automatic transmission.
DC fast-charging can quickly charge the massive batteries.
E300 4×2 Truck
E300 is an all-electric truck with a GVM of 10000 kg. The model is available in cab chassis, box body and refrigerated body options
Its batteries give it a range of around 200 km at 50% loading
Also, the truck comes with a 150,000km or three-year warranty from the company for a worry-free experience.
The low operating noise of the vehicle enables it to operate in residential areas.
E100 Truck
The E100 electric truck comes with a Cab chassis and has a GVM of around 4500 kg.
A 200 km driving range is possible at 50 percent loading with its batteries
Furthermore, a warranty of 150,000km or three years from the company is an added peace of mind.
SEA Electric
SEA Electric is an Australian company headquartered in California. It provides e-mobility solutions with its proprietary SEA-Drive electric power system which is compatible with most OEM glider chassis.
SEA 500 EV
The SEA 500 EV series is available in 4×2 and 6×2 forms, with GVM offers ranging between 15 and 22.5 tonnes.
One of the models, SEA 500-225 powered by SEA Drive 280-35 power system has a GVM of 22.5 tonnes. It comes with an axle configuration of 6×2 while the maximum body length is 9.240 m.
Continuous power of 259 kW to a maximum of 372 kW can be obtained from the power system. While the magnitude of continuous torque is 1969 Nm to a maximum of 3999 Nm.
The vehicle can go up to 300 km on a single charge unladen. Also, it is designed to operate in ranges of -20 to 50 degrees Celsius.
Charging the 280-kWh battery takes up to 14 hours
SEA 300 EV
The Sea 300 EV light-duty range has GVM ranging from 4.5 to 8.5 tonnes. Also, a variety of wheelbase, payload and body length configurations are available. All these options have a 4×2 axle format.
Options to choose between three different motors corresponding to various power requirements are available.
Depending on the battery options along with other configurations, these trucks can have a range of up to 300 km.
FUSO eCanter
The FUSO eCanter is an all-electric truck.
To begin with, it is available two options – as eCanter 8 with a GVW of 7490 kg and a payload capacity of 3500 kg. The other is eCanter 6 with a GVW of 5995 kg and a payload capacity of 2000 kg.
It has an electric drive with a maximum power of 135 kW along with a peak torque of 390 Nm.
Also, its battery pack of 81 kWh allows it a driving range of around 100 km to 150 km, depending on configurations.
The batteries can be charged using a CCS2 plug. It takes about 45 minutes for an 80 percent charge with a maximum power of 50 kW DC. Full charging requires approximately 80 minutes.
Charging is also possible using a regular 240V AC charger with a maximum output of 7.2 kW and 32 amperes. A full charge is possible in approximately 9 hours.
ZEV
Zero Emissions Vehicles (ZEV) is an electromobility company in New Zealand that designs and manufactures heavy electric vehicles. The company is based in Manawatu and has developed many innovative solutions in electromobility over the years since its foundation in 2008.
