Imagine launching a new transport business in Australia and choosing to operate only with electric vehicles.
The team behind New Energy Transport have had that dream and are now working to deliver on their strategy, partnering with OEMs to source trucks and develop depots and charging solutions to provide coverage on key launch routes.
Finding small to medium sized customers willing to come along on the journey will be key and toilet paper brand Who Gives a Crap has stepped up to the plate to have New Energy Transport deliver a port-to-warehouse run utilising a Volvo FM Electric prime mover.
For businesses such as Who Gives a Crap, moving their products using green energy helps to decarbonise their supply chain and deliver on low emissions goals and Corporate Social Responsibility targets.
Who Gives a Crap’s Head of Sustainability Bernie Wiley says this week’s demonstration was another example of the company’s willingness to look for solutions that would reduce the company’s environmental impact.
“Decarbonising our supply chain has been a key focus for us for several years. By the end of this year, 30 per cent of our outbound orders through ANC will be delivered by EV, supported by new warehouse charging solutions,” Wiley says.
“This latest pilot takes our ambition to the next level. Heavy freight is one of the hardest parts of any supply chain to decarbonise, so we wanted to partner with NET to prove it’s not just possible, but practical.
“The results have been incredibly promising, and we’re excited to explore how we can expand electric trucking across our network. It’s great to show that when the right technology and partners come together, sustainability doesn’t have to come at the cost of efficiency.”
The trial saw New Energy Transport utilise a Volvo FM Electric prime mover to complete a full freight loop transporting a 40- foot container from Port Botany to Who Gives A Crap’s Sydney warehouse in Yennora and back.
The round trip totalled 88 kilometers, 118 minutes of driving time, utilised 34 per cent of the truck’s charge and only 120kWh of energy.
New Energy Transport co-founder Daniel Bleakley says the results of the demonstration were promising.
“We’re incredibly proud to be partnering with Who Gives a Crap who are as passionate about electrifying heavy road freight as we are,” Bleakley says.
“We’re really pleased with the results of the demonstration. We’ve proven that we’re able to operate heavy electric trucks for port cartage under the same conditions as diesel trucks, transporting the same payload in the same time across the same route – only we can do it with zero emissions, zero pollution and significantly reduced road noise.”
New Energy Transport describes itself as “a vertically integrated trucking company that combines low-cost renewable energy and electric trucks to deliver zero-emission heavy road freight”.
It’s website states that: “The company is pioneering an innovative business model which utilises onsite batteries and the wholesale electricity market to match the cost of diesel-based freight”.
In terms of what’s next, it says: “New Energy Transport is building a network of strategically located charging depots along the Australian eastern seaboard, which will enable us to deliver interstate zero-emission primary freight services.
“The first of these sites will be developed early next year (2026), allowing us to offer a secondary freight service in the Sydney and Wollongong region, before the full network is developed.”