NZ’s first electric concrete truck arriving soon

New Zealand’s first electric battery-swap concrete mixer truck is expected to arrive by early June..

The XCMG-manufactured vehicle will be operated by Firth Industries and is being brought in from China by New Zealand distributor Etrucks.

Etrucks director Ross Linton is currently in China and expects to get behind the wheel of the truck this week.

The electric concrete mixer truck is ready to ship and should arrive in the country by early June, he says.
It features the latest CATL battery that is 300kg lighter than previous versions and can now accept dual gun charging (under one hour to 100%) where battery swapping is unavailable.

CATL, a Chinese battery manufacturer, recently announced major developments related to its energy density technology which could enable electrification of passenger aircrafts. Linton says he will also be hearing more about this update in coming days.

Firth received $361,000 in co-funding for the vehicle from the Government’s Low Emission Transport Fund (LETF) administered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).

The battery-swap concrete mixer will operate in the Auckland region and will help Firth’s goal of reducing its emissions 30% by 2030.

Francis Leslie, northern certified head of asset management at Firth, confirms it will be the first battery operated concrete truck in the country.

The large battery will drive both the truck and a six bcubic metre mixer which will be able to be recharged overnight.

“This first truck will allow us time to gauge its performance over a period of time,” says Leslie.

“The weight of the battery may limit the load size, compared with a current similar sized truck, however the trial period will take all of the variables into account.

“It is a very exciting project for Firth in our goal to reduce our footprint as part of our sustainable commitment to ourselves and our customers. We are looking forward to its arrival.”