SEA Electric driving zero emission delivery vehicles

This story first appeared in the August issue of EVtalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE

SEA Electric is a driving force behind electric transport vehicles in Australia and is also making waves in New Zealand, with five vehicles deployed and many more to come.

The Melbourne-based company’s drivetrain features in the first large capacity all-electric van available in Australia.

The E4V van, which also comes as a 14-seater, is designed for freight and taxi operators aiming to reduce their fleet running costs while gaining acclaim as an environmentally friendly operator.

The van was officially offered recently after successfully completing trials that achieved a 400km range, joined in the trials by SEA Electric’s E4B 14-seater.

Built on vans imported from manufacturer XGD, the E4V and E4B feature the SEA-Drive which SEA Electric uses in all its fully electric transport vehicles.

It has developed and patented the SEA-Drive technology in 152 countries, with each of the five models customised to a specific category of commercial vehicles.

The SEA-Drive has been created by utilising some of the world’s class-leading EV components and integrating each sub-system with proprietary software and controls.
The outcome is a flexible system that performs at the highest levels, while cost effective to use and adaptable to a large range of donor commercial vehicle platforms, the company says.

The flexible architecture and design mean the SEA-Drive acts as a “live” platform and can be continually improved as both hardware and software improvements are made – both new and aftermarket.
This de-risks the purchasing decision for the operator.

OEM and operator adaptation projects are in various stages of development across the globe.

The SEA-Drive technology can also power bigger commercial vehicles, up to 23.
5 tonne rigid 6×4 vehicles, for instance, managing director Tony Fairweather says.

He suggests keeping watch for a pending, high-profile deployment in Melbourne.

Although delighted with the 400km range trials, Fairweather says the vans are designed for the metropolitan delivery and pickup market where the required range is more around 250km daily.

“We are confident that this equates to the majority of vans sold in this 25,000 per annum market.”
Changing battery technology, particularly in reducing their size, is expected to lead to weight savings, greater load capacity and reduced costs.

“As much as we are very happy from the optimisation efforts of our SEA-Drive technology, we are also benefiting from the regular cell density improvements that are being offered by our supplier,” Fairweather says.

He says range is no longer an issue in the pick-up and delivery sector, and the environmental benefits are well documented.

The vans use an on-board charger and a standard three-phase, 32amp power point at night when excess power is usually available, reducing charging costs.

The lower running costs will help fleet operators switch to EVs, Fairweather believes.

He feels any added incentives from policy makers will also encourage commercial fleet uptake of EVs.

“Our market focus is on products that have a greater financial return for our customers, as the total-cost-of-ownership is now less than that of a diesel product,” he says.
“It’s cheaper to buy a SEA-Drive powered electric commercial vehicle than a diesel equivalent when understanding the true cost model.”
SEA Electric also plans to launch a range of rigid all-electric delivery vehicles for fast-moving consumer goods (particularly food and beverage) distributors in both Australia and New Zealand soon.

With a general manager and two aftersales engineers now employed in Auckland, SEA Electric is open for business in both Australia and New Zealand, and can be contacted via sea-electric.
com for more information.