JAC Puts New EV truck on Queensland Roads

CHINESE brand JAC Auto has quickly put its new electric truck on the road with its 7.5-tonne N75 already picked up by Queensland transport company All Purpose Transport.

This is the first N75 on the road since it debuted at the recent Brisbane Truck Show and follows the successful launch, and strong interest, in the smaller 4.5-tonne GVM N55 EV.

All Purpose Transport, based in Berrinba and which leased the N75 through CarBon Finance’s subscription service, isn’t new to EV trucks. In 2019 it employed a modified Hino truck that had been converted to run on electricity instead of diesel.

The transport company said that truck was to be used primarily for its IKEA operations and that it was a step towards the company’s transition to eco-friendly delivery solutions.

All Purpose Transport CEO Paul Kahlert said that EV trucks were “just the beginning of a broader strategy to encourage our contractors to move to lower emissions vehicles.”

“We’re taking the lead in the last mile delivery sector and CarBon has helped guide us through the transition and implementation process,” he said.

In 2019, the company said: “By the end of 2020, we’re aiming for 10 per cent of our fleet to be made up of electric delivery trucks.” It now has six EV trucks with more on order.

The N75 EV truck in Brisbane joins the all-electric N55 (4.5t and 5.5t GVM variants) and will be followed later this year by the N90 (9.0t) EV truck.

The N75 EV has a 106.95 kWh lithium-ferrous phosphate (LFP) battery pack that has a range of about 200km per charge.

The synchronous electric motor delivers 130kW and 1200Nm of torque.

Features for the operator includes an economical driving mode and a regenerative braking system to maximise battery life and range while reducing brake wear.

The truck can accelerate to 50km/h from rest in eight seconds, has a top speed of 90km/h and can scale up to 16.7 degrees with a load of four tonne.

It has a turning circle of 13.8m, ground clearance of 190mm and a maximum payload of 4050kg.

The N75 has a 3845mm wheelbase. Its overall dimensions are 7025mm length, 2160 width and 2323mm height that JAC said provides sufficient space for bodies of about 5000mm in length.

On the smaller N55, JAC Auto said it was available for immediate sale at about $150,000.

The battery-electric N55 can be driven with a regular driver’s licence and is claimed to be “perfectly suited to Australia’s burgeoning last-mile logistics network”.

JAC Auto said the medium rigid N55 had undergone two years of local trials. It said it can have up to 220km of tailpipe emission-free all-electric range from its 96.8kWh LFP battery pack.

The company said LFP battery technology — also used by other Chinese vehicle manufacturers including Tesla — offered greater stability and superior recharging properties than more common lithium-ion batteries.

The LFP’s modular battery array can be recharged (0-80%) via a CCS2 plug in as little as two hours from a 50kW DC fast charger.

“The N55’s range enables them to complete deliveries in almost complete silence and with zero (tailpipe) emissions, and it can be charged back at base quickly, easily and affordably – no more time wasted at service stations,” said JAC Auto managing director Jason Pecotic.

Like the N75, the N55 has a single electric motor and has regenerative braking to recharges the battery on the fly, which JAC claims lowers servicing costs by reducing brake component wear.

The N55 is available in 4.5-tonne and 5.5-tonne GVM variants allowing it to be fitted with a variety of body types. It features driver and passenger airbags, a reverse camera, reversing sensors with an audible reversing warning, and daytime running lights.

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