SEA Electric showcase at US ACT Expo

Australian-founded SEA Electric will have four different examples from its line-up at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo on August 30 to September 2 in Long Beach, California.

Visitors can sample the vehicles in the expo’s Ride & Drive experience.

SEA Electric is a rapidly expanding global leader in electric power systems technology for urban delivery and distribution fleets with Meritor, a recent strategic investor in SEA Electric, also on the SEA Electric stand at the ACT Expo.

Since 2012, SEA Electric has been developing its proprietary 100% electric SEA-Drive Power System, which is adaptable to most OEM glider chassis, from Class 3 to Class 8.

During the past 18 months, SEA Electric has rapidly established its presence in North America, including relocating its headquarters to Los Angeles and working with multiple leading OEM and industry collaborators on significant projects.

This includes partnering with Hino Trucks USA for ‘Project Z’, Hino’s push towards a zero-emissions range of medium and heavy-duty trucks.

“The ACT Expo comes at an exciting time in the history of SEA Electric; we have created the ability to upfit 60,000 units per year, with opportunities in trucks, delivery vehicles, buses and government fleets,” SEA Electric president and founder Tony Fairweather says.

“Concurrently with our growth in North America, we have experienced remarkable global expansion, including throughout Asia, the Pacific, and now into Europe, with a range of projects ongoing with a variety of automotive leaders.

“We are looking to continue to drive our momentum forward at the ACT Expo, ultimately to our planned IPO.”

Meanwhile, SEA Electric Americas president and chief strategy officer Mike Menyhart sees the ACT Expo offering the chance to connect with a broad cross-section of companies looking to take leadership with EV technology.

“The ACT Expo is our most important event of the year to build relationships and educate attendees about our company and product options,” he says.

 “Over the past 18 months, we have grown our presence in the USA with a strong leadership group at the head of a 50 plus strong team.

 “To date, we have already seen impressive sales growth, with many different models on the road locally.

 “The Ride & Drive experience at the ACT Expo is the perfect point in case, with a Staples box truck and a FedEx Ground step van, demonstrating that we have already created significant progress with major corporations.”

Menyhart says many more major announcements are in the pipeline with multiple large contracts.

“One of the most exciting innovations we will display at the event is our in-house developed all-electric alternative for the Ford Step Van Class 6 (SV6) platform, which has massive potential in the delivery space.”

Alongside the SV6 chassis on display will be a SEA Hino M5 EV chassis, with the Ride & Drive section featuring a SEA Hino M5 EV (Staples box truck) and a SEA SV6 EV (FedEx Ground step van), all powered by the SEA-Drive 120a.

The 138kWh battery pack provides up to 321.8km, and a typical break-even period of fewer than four years, without applicable grants and subsidies.

A Meritor 14Xe ePowertrain will be displayed in the SEA Electric booth, with the system ideal in multiple installation types, including Class 8 refuse and linehaul trucks, Class 6-7 pickup and delivery, plus school bus applications.

The investment by Meritor follows in the footsteps of Canadian power control solutions manufacturer Exro Technologies, which partnered with SEA Electric in February.