The Blacktown City Council western Sydney has unveiled a new fully electric heavy truck, which it says is custom-made to replace two ageing diesel trucks and two trailers.
The new electric heavy ‘beavertail’ truck, which has been dubbed ‘Cleopatra’ by council staff, will be used to carry mowers and tractors to parks and reserves as part of ongoing maintenance work.
Council staff worked with Volvo Group Australia and body manufacturer Austec Fabrications to design and produce the 27-tonne truck, which is built on a Volvo FE chassis and boasts a range of 270 kilometres and carry capacity of between 10 to 14 tonnes.
Charging infrastructure is already in place at the council’s Rooty Hill depot, albeit at the relatively slow rate of 43 kW, powered by 100 per cent green power across the council’s operations. It takes six hours at that rate to charge the truck’s 280 kWh battery. The range is 275 km.
Another key feature of the truck is a solar panel atop the truck which powers a small 1.5 kWh battery dedicated to the retractable ramp, reducing the load on the main battery.
“Council staff have worked with our industry partners and produced a vehicle that has made mowing and maintaining our parks easier and more efficient, while minimising impact on the environment,” said Brad Bunting, Blacktown City Mayor.
“Cleopatra is just one part of the work underway to transition Council’s fleet and operations to a greener, cleaner future.”
Note: This story has been updated with new details from the council.
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