Trucks too - - - interesting NZ trial across several industry uses
Electric truck swaps battery faster than it takes to fill a tank
Sep 14 2022
Mainfreight's newest truck runs on electricity - and rather than waiting a long time to charge up, the truck swaps an empty battery for a fully charged alternative. Within six minutes, an e-truck can go from empty to full, thanks to battery-swapping technology.
Unlike personal cars that spend most of their lives idle, freight-carrying trucks need to be on the road and earning their keep as much as possible. So while electricity is a lower-carbon and cheaper fuel, intercity truckers don’t have time to wait for their vehicles to power up.
Enter the battery-swapping E700, imported from China by Auckland firm Etrucks. Five are currently on our roads putting the tech through its paces.
Supply company Mainfreight is operating an e-truck between Auckland and Hamilton, with the battery swap taking place at each end of the run.
At 40 tonnes, the truck and cargo has a range of about 130km on a full battery, said Etrucks director Ross Linton.
Fonterra will operate one on the milk runs around Morrinsville. Concretemaker Firth, scrap metal dealer Phoenix Metal Recycling and tunnelling firm Ghella Abergeldie JV have also secured a battery-swapping truck.
As well as providing a quick top up, the swapping system also means the batteries on the truck can be smaller, Linton said. A lighter truck can carry more freight.
The six-minute swap is actually shorter than it would take to fill a truck with diesel, Linton said.
“But you have to do it more often. So it’s still going to take longer to swap batteries out for the same range,” he added. “We’re still slower than diesel, but not by much.”