London-based fleet electrification specialist Zenobē announced on Tuesday that it has rolled out its first electric prime mover in Australia to local appliance and logistics business Winning Group.
Zenobē, a clean technology company focused on fleet electrification and battery storage, announced in May that it had signed a service-based agreement with Winning Group to deploy 30 electric trucks across its operations in Sydney and Melbourne, along with the necessary charging infrastructure.
The so-called Electric Vehicle as a Service (EVaaS) model removes the upfront capital barriers for businesses looking to electrify their fleets while also reducing operational risk, helping fleet operators to get electric trucks into operation quicker.
At the time of the May announcement, Zenobē and Winning were planning to deploy 10 Foton T5 (4.5-tonne) electric trucks at its Kemps Creek distribution centre in Western Sydney, along with a further 20 unspecified 8.5-tonne electric trucks at Winning’s custom-built distribution centre in Altona North, Victoria.
However, only a little over two months later, and Zenobē and Winning have deployed a Mercedes Benz eActros 300 electric prime mover from the Kemps Creek depot, the first electric prime mover Zenobē has deployed in Australia.
The Mercedes Benz eActros 300 has a battery capacity of 336kWh with a range of up to 330 kilometres and has been financed by Zenobē and leased to Winning along with a charging solution at the Kemps Creek depot.
“Seeing the first electric prime mover enter service is an exciting step in Winnings’ electrification journey and demonstrates how fleet operators can begin transitioning heavy commercial vehicles to zero-emission today,” said Gareth Ridge, Zenobē country director for Australia.
“By combining vehicles, charging infrastructure and ongoing operational support into a single service, we’re helping partners like Winnings transition with confidence while reducing both cost and risk.”
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