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    Woolworths are using electric trucks

    The future of transport is electric and while many thought heavy vehicles  would never make the transition, this Aussie-built EV truck is proof that’s wrong.

    Woolworths is one company that is trialing the EV technology. Transiting groceries around the country currently relies on lots of diesel powered trucks running between distribution centers and supermarkets, so if they can make EV work, there’s some savings to be had, as well as reducing their carbon emissions as a company. 

    The fully electric truck features technology from SeaElectric, who have developed an electric drivetrain, known as SEA-Drive. They have a number of variants, like this IVECO ACCO, built in Australia, so no Australian manufacturing isn’t dead. 

    The company recently posted an earlier photo of the truck before it received Woolworths branding and detailed the specs of the truck. This is powered by electricity 100% of the time that you’ll soon seeing much more of on Melbourne roads.

    The SEA-Drive 140 model has been created for adoption by 14t to 17t cab chassis trucks. A 195kW (continuous power) Permanent Magnet motor, provides 2060Nm of continuous torque, drives the vehicle, allowing 0-50km/h in 8 seconds.

    It operates with a 140kWh battery pack, mounted below the cab and between the chassis rails for protection and balance. This configuration gets up to 180km on a charge, but Woolworths needed more, so opted for the extra battery pack.

    With an additional battery module, that power is increased to 212kWh, that’s like having 2x Tesla Model S’ bolted together to deliver a ridiculous 3500Nm from the electric motor. It’s that kind of torque that’s required to haul the weight found in transport.

    A 22kW integrated charger allows full charge in under 7 hours.

    Jason Cartwright
    Jason Cartwrighthttps://techau.com.au/author/jason/
    Creator of techAU, Jason has spent the dozen+ years covering technology in Australia and around the world. Bringing a background in multimedia and passion for technology to the job, Cartwright delivers detailed product reviews, event coverage and industry news on a daily basis. Disclaimer: Tesla Shareholder from 20/01/2021

    3 COMMENTS

    1. Well done Woolworths for starting the transition to EV. I’m proud of you. Hopefully we will see more woolworths EV trucks on the road and no more polluting diesel trucks in 4 years time

    2. Haha, as an employee at toll I can tell you that these things are lemons. Not one single load of groceries has been delivered to a Woolworths store using an electric truck. These lemons are being trialled right now and even with the truck empty they are not getting anywhere near the advertised range out of a full charge. Just a massive wank so Woolworths can tell the public they are a green company,. Where do the morons think electricity comes from? Coal fired power plants ffs???

      • Even if the energy comes from coal fired power plants (which is slowly starting to be reduced thanks to investors acting despite a hostile regulatory framework), the benefits of electric trucks in our city are obvious: reduced noise and air pollution! These trucks are first generation and rather than knocking a company that has a go, I suggest we watch and learn.

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