Electric Trucks Roll into Port Freight – and SMEs are Leading the Charge
In an Australian first demonstration for a small-to-medium enterprise (SME), toilet paper brand Who Gives A Crap has proven that SMEs can electrify heavy freight. Partnering with New Energy Transport and Volvo, the company successfully completed a port-to-warehouse run powered entirely by an electric heavy truck — a milestone in making zero-emission freight accessible beyond big corporates.
With mounting pressure for businesses to report on their emissions and layout reduction plans, the demonstration showed that small-to-medium businesses can be key players in the race to decarbonise the transport industry.
And with transport set to become Australia’s biggest source of emissions by 2030, and heavy trucks responsible for nearly half of road transport pollution, the sector is notoriously hard to decarbonise. But this successful demonstration proves that SMEs don’t need deep pockets or giant fleets to play their part in cutting emissions.
New Energy Transport, Australia’s first zero-emission heavy trucking company, combines low-cost renewable energy, high-speed charging and electric prime movers to offer zero- emission road freight at no extra cost compared to diesel-based freight.
With a clear alignment in goals and values, Who Gives A Crap sees this partnership as the perfect opportunity to drive solutions for overcoming common transport decarbonisation challenges and lead the way for other Aussie SMEs.
The trial saw Volvo’s FM Electric prime mover complete a full freight loop transporting a 40-foot container from Port Botany to Who Gives A Crap’s Sydney warehouse in Yennora and back.
The round trip totalled 88km, 118 minutes of driving time, utilised 34% of the truck’s charge and only 120kWh of energy. This showcased commercial and economic viability, with the trip easily being able to be done a second time on the same charge and with the same productivity as diesel trucks but without the emissions.
“Decarbonising our supply chain has been a key focus for us for several years. By the end of this year, 30% of our outbound orders through ANC will be delivered by EV, supported by new warehouse charging solutions. This latest pilot takes our ambition to the next level,” says Bernie Wiley, Head of Sustainability at Who Gives A Crap.
Wiley continues, “Heavy freight is one of the hardest parts of any supply chain to decarbonise, so we wanted to partner with NET to prove it’s not just possible, but practical.
The results have been incredibly promising, and we’re excited to explore how we can expand electric trucking across our network. It’s great to show that when the right technology and partners come together, sustainability doesn’t have to come at the cost of efficiency.”
The demonstration tested real-world routing, performance, and operational complexities, generating critical insights into what it will take to scale electric freight solutions across Australia.
Furthermore, it highlighted that by decarbonising heavy road freight not only can there be a significant acceleration in the decarbonisation of the whole sector, but overall costs can be reduced.
“We’re incredibly proud to be partnering with Who Gives a Crap who are as passionate about electrifying heavy road freight as we are,” says Daniel Bleakley, Co-Founder of New Energy Transport.
“We’re really pleased with the results of the demonstration. We’ve proven that we’re able to operate heavy electric trucks for port cartage under the same conditions as diesel trucks, transporting the same payload in the same time across the same route - only we can do it with zero emissions, zero pollution and significantly reduced road noise,” continues Bleakley.
The collaboration reinforces Who Gives A Crap’s role as a trailblazer in EV fleet use for smaller enterprises, with the demonstration setting a precedent for democratising access to electric trucking.
