The Australian logistics firm Centurion says its ‘off-grid’ electric truck fleet is now ‘fully operational’ following the introduction of a further 10 Mercedes-Benz eActros lorries. The trucks rely on charging infrastructure that uses a combination of solar power, battery storage, and a backup generator.
The off-grid fleet is now made up of a total 25 eActros 300s and five eActros prime movers. Each of them are charged using 15 dual-port slow and fast chargers at two charging hubs, which combined rely on 4.4MW worth of rooftop solar and 10.3MWh of battery storage. Additionally, the two charging hubs feature a back-up generators that use hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) – enabling them to charge the lorries on-site without the need for grid power.
To break it down, the two charging hubs are located at Centurion’s depot at Perth Airport, and are split into ‘North’ and ‘South’ locations. The South site went live this week and provides 2.2MW from the solar array, 3.44MWh of battery storage, plus a mixture of 75kW and 150kW chargers. Meanwhile, the North site was commissioned back in February.
The project has reportedly cost a total of $36M AUD and is the result of a partnership between Daimler Truck, Cape Dunstans, Switch Batteries and bp Australia. Centurion states that it has also been supported by $15.8m AUD in funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (aka ARENA).
Justin Cardaci, CEO of Centurion, commented: “The project is now fully operational, and it marks a significant milestone in progressing our decarbonisation journey. Completing this important infrastructure milestone and having the full electric truck fleet operational is a great outcome for Centurion. It shows that with the right partnerships and investment, sustainable freight solutions are achievable today.”
Meanwhile, Daimler Truck Australia Pacific President and CEO Daniel Whitehead said: “We’re thrilled to see 10 more Mercedes-Benz eActros trucks join Centurion’s off-grid solar fleet, joining the 20 units that have already been delivering for customers and producing zero exhaust emissions. Day 1 of Centurion’s 30-strong fully-electric eActros truck fleet marks an important milestone for sustainable logistics in Australia. This is a remarkable achievement and I would like to congratulate Justin Cardaci and his team at Centurion for making it a reality.”
centurion.net.au, linkedin.com
