Over on LinkedIn, our CEO Richard made a post that generated interesting discussion. A commenter told me an electric prime mover weighs 4 to 5 tonnes more than a diesel, that the payload loss kills the revenue case, and that I was cherry picking. He ended with "prove me wrong."
The payload objection is the one he hears most from fleet operators. It refers to electric trucks weighing more than diesel trucks, meaning that they can't carry as much payload when trying to meet the maximum weight limit. This means it seems obvious to continue with diesel trucks, but is that the whole truth?
The tare (weight limit) gap isn't what it seems
The real gap between an electric prime mover and a diesel equivalent runs 1.5 to 2 tonnes, not 4 to 5. The battery is heavy, but it isn't sitting on top of a diesel driveline. It replaces the engine, the gearbox, the exhaust, the aftertreatment system, and up to 400kg of diesel carried in dual tanks.
State concessions are partially covering payload loss gap in Australia
What's left of the payload difference is largely solved by regulation. Transport for NSW sized its zero emission mass concessions specifically so payload matches the diesel equivalent: up to 8 tonnes on the steer axle and 18.5 on the tandem drive, against a standard 6.5 and 16.5. Victoria allows 7.5 on the steer. Regulators worked this out with industry so operators wouldn't have to choose between emissions and revenue.
The hardware already suits Australian freight
The Volvo Trucks Australia prime mover sold here is a 6x4 rated to 50 tonnes GCM, with 490kW, about 657hp. Janus Electric converts Kenworths and Western Stars to run B-double work with 400km of range on swap batteries. Volvo has demonstrated an electric A-triple in Queensland. This freight equipment has been rated for the loads Australian operators actually run.
For example, New Energy Transport announced on the 13th of July that it's running daily fully electric deliveries for Unilever, from Ingleburn to points across Sydney.
Read our case study with New Energy Transport.
Where the skeptics are right
Road trains at full mass are still out of reach for electric prime movers, and the mass concessions vary state to state, which hurts interstate work. Both problems are real. Neither describes the corridor and metro freight where electric trucks are already earning their keep.
An objection that isn't quantifiable isn't an objection
By being specific, the commenter on LinkedIn gave us a testable scenario, and testing it is how fleet decisions should get made, not by repeating the first number that sounds intuitive.
Try your Sydney route plans through our sandbox environment and see where the gains are for EV Vehicles.