By Leonie Fuge
Electric trucks are starting to gather more interest in Australia with some trucking companies switching from so called ‘dirty trucks’ to those marketed as clean energy, but the Southern Downs long haul trucking companies are holding off making the switch to electric trucks, for good reason too.
The freight industry is being held responsible for four per cent (and rising) of Australia’s total carbon emissions, says The Gratton Institute. Government pressure is mounting on all industries, including freight, for net-zero by 2050 and has forced local trucking companies to implement strategies to reduce carbon emissions.
Wickam Freight Lines has already switched to electric forklifts and Frasers Livestock and Logistics Transport have been investing in engine technology to reduce emissions.
But even so, the local long haul trucks rumbling along our Southern Down’s highways are still diesel guzzling beasts with no plans for the companies to transition to electric in the short term.
Part owner of Frasers Livestock and Logistics Transport, Ross Fraser said the company was invested in new technology to reduce their fleet’s carbon footprint and significant reductions were already being made.
“We need to consider that in the last 11 years, we have reduced our emissions by 26 per cent through engine technology,” said Ross. ”We have been thousands of years leading to our current emissions and we are trying to fix it in 10.“
The trucking company owner believed that given time, the industry will fix carbon emission outputs.
Though Frasers operations do not yet include electric trucks, they are monitoring the electric semi space.
“Electric trucks are not feasible for our company at this stage,” said Ross.
“The availability of charging stations is a hindrance along with the load weight. Electric trucks are ideal for the city, but we are a long way from an electric truck long haul.”
Frasers are carting livestock from rural North Queensland to South NSW spending hours on outback roads away from charging station infrastructure.
“We have a huge operating area,” said Ross. ”Unlike Europe, Australia doesn’t have the infrastructure for electric trucks, there is nowhere to charge trucks yet that I know of.”
With some great advantages to companies adopting to cleaner energy, including savings in fuel costs and a reduction in noise pollution, both long haul companies believed there is a future for them in a metro role, but for trucks travelling around 1000km per day – the distance is too great.
Electric truck sales have increased in Australia with Volvo reporting in December 2022 that it had made its biggest Australian order from one company of 36 electric trucks, even so, clean energy trucks remain rare on Australian roads.
According to the State of EV’s in Australia 2022 report, Australia has a total of 10 models of electric trucks on the Australian market and all of them are suited to urban distribution, leaving our Southern Downs long haul companies dependent on deisel.
The report didn’t include the first two electric prime movers that Volvo is shipping (or has landed) on our shores for trial.
Ross also pointed out that power is not cheap and recharging will not come cheaply. The 30 per cent power rise has added a further challenge to switching to electric trucks.
“The heavier the vehicle, the more fuel. We cart heavy loads so will use more electricity as indeed we do fuel.”
Another long haul trucking company leader said, “Until the country gets its base power load right, if we all switch to electric trucks, people will be sitting in a cold bath in the dark.”
