Truck & Bus News

Truck & Bus Briefs

50 years of Volvo trucks built in Australia

Volvo Group Australia has marked five decades of building trucks in Australia with the handover of two special trucks to key customers. “I am super proud to be here to help celebrate 50 years of building trucks here, this country is very important to Volvo Group, and we are here to stay,” Volvo Trucks International Senior Vice President, Per Erik Lindstrom said. Tom Chapman, Vice President, Mack trucks Australia also took the opportunity to offer his thoughts: “We’ve actually been building trucks in Australia for 59 years now, and this year marks 20 years of Mack trucks being built at our Wacol plant.”

NHVR opens submissions for new projects

Australia’s National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has opened submissions for Round 8 of the Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative (HVSI) to fund new projects to deliver a safer heavy vehicle industry. Project submissions must address the themes of safer drivers, safer vehicles or safer road use by investing in driver or supply chain skills and training, vehicle safety technologies and improvements, or heavy vehicle educational tools and resources. The Australian Government has committed more than $4 million towards Round 8 of the HVSI. Submissions are now open and close on 5pm AEST Monday 20 February 2023. For more information on the HVSI program, including the submission process and eligibility, visit www.nhvr.gov.au/hvsi

Lap of the Map

Back in 1939, UD Trucks founder Kenzo Adachi embarked on a 3000 mile odyssey to prove the ultimate dependability of the new vehicle. Now, over 82 years later, UD Trucks Australia is heading off on an Adachi San inspired lap of the Australian continent. Following Australia’s fabled Highway 1, the fully loaded UD Quon CW25 360 will circumnavigate the country, stopping in to visit customers and dealers over the course of the 15,000 kilometre journey.

Volta takes the Cake

Volta Trucks and Cake, a Swedish maker of premium lightweight, electric motorcycles, have announced a collaboration aimed at decarbonising and decongesting last mile deliveries, while also improving service to end customers.

The first trial, planned in Q1 2023 in Paris will be with the H&M Group, a fashion and design family of brands and businesses. The fully integrated, zero tailpipe emission delivery service from warehouse to end customer uses the most efficient combination of electric trucks and electric two wheelers. The Volta Zero will act as a mobile micro hub, or mini warehouse. Cake’s electric motorcycles will be loaded into the Volta Zero and deployed into the city centre. From there, the Cake electric motorcycles will deliver the last mile of parcels to customers.

HDrive hydrogen truck

HDrive, a subsidiary of Australian specialist vehicle manufacturer BLK Auto, announced its entry into the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (HFCV) truck market, with a range of trucks in production after a successful design and engineering period.

HDrive has already taken several orders for its HFCV trucks, including for a dual control side lifter waste truck and a 6×4 prime mover recently purchased by fuel provider Pure Hydrogen for use by their clients. HDrive’s HFCV trucks have been designed and engineered in Australia. In a joint venture, HDrive trucks will initially be built at Wisdom (Fujian) Motor Company premises using the proven Ballard Fuel Cells. The range of trucks will sit alongside BLK Auto’s existing hydrogen coach and electric truck, and bus options. They are suitable for a variety of heavy-duty industries and with several drivetrain options available, including: • Prime mover hydrogen trucks • 4×2 drivetrain, 24 tonne gross vehicle weight • 6×4, 18T to 70T GVW • 8×4, 49T GVW • Refuelling trucks – 6×4 • Dual control waste trucks – 6×4 • Cement mixer trucks – 8×4, 10×4. HDrive is working with its customers to define requirements for other HFCV trucks to suit demand and improve its already comprehensive aftersales support, cementing partnerships and supply agreements with world-leading companies.

Driverless truck trial on Melbourne’s CityLink

A self-driving connected and automated (CAV) truck is about to start rolling on an Australian road.

This will be the first time an automated truck has been tested on public roads in this country so, it’s an important step towards the CAV-driven future. This trial will ultimately help better understand how roads and road technology can be futureproofed to prepare for CAVs joining the mix of vehicles already on Melbourne’s roads and beyond. While CAV trials with driver assistance have already been trialled on our roads, this trial is a little different as the automated truck will be driving itself. Before, the trials tested how the sensors in these vehicles interpret their immediate surroundings (for example, line markings and variable speed limit signs). This time, it will test how one of the roads, CityLink in Melbourne, ‘talks’ to the automated truck by providing its real-time data about traffic and road conditions to guide it on its journey. The trials will provide valuable insights which will help make informed decisions about future infrastructure and operations. Getting a solid understanding of automated trucks’ interfacing technology is especially important given road freight is projected to grow steadily in the coming decades. These trucks have the potential to transform the freight industry, helping to move more goods more often and better supporting the needs of both businesses and consumers, so paving the way for their ready adoption is a smart move for everyone. CityLink is one of the most technologically sophisticated roads in the world, with embedded technology including more than 600 CCTV cameras, automatic incident detection systems and smart sensors to monitor for traffic incidents such as debris and stopped vehicles. During the trial, real-time data from CityLink’s systems will be fed directly to the CAV truck, enabling it to understand road and traffic conditions beyond its sensors. During its on-road trials, the truck will only travel at night, when traffic is typically light. The vehicle will travel in a dedicated lane from Todd Road on the West Gate Freeway, through both the Burnley and Domain tunnels and onto the CityLink/Monash Freeway, finishing at Warrigal Road. The CAV truck will then turn around and return along the same route. The truck has been subject to weeks of rigorous testing at the Australian Automotive Research Centre (located in Anglesea), with Transurban and the vehicle’s provider, the Taiwan Industrial Technology Research Institute, putting the truck through its paces in various controlled conditions. Pilot vehicles will accompany the truck initially, and a team of 24/7 traffic control officers will be monitoring the road and conditions using CityLink’s extensive system of CCTV cameras and monitoring systems.

Bustech designs and builds Aussie electric bus

Queensland based bus builder Bustech has doubled down on electric bus development unveiling its own Australian designed and built electric bus chassis at the recent Sydney Bus Show.

Bustech says its new electric bus is fully designed, engineered and manufactured vehicle, using a 452-kilowatt hour battery, which it says is the biggest battery pack currently in operation in Australia in a bus and has a range of 450 km. The company already has the bus running in the Logan region south of Brisbane with a second unit delivered recently and another eight currently being built for Queensland operation with three more set to be deployed in NSW. New owners bought into Bustech, with Fusion Capital taking over in 2018 and according to Hall, they brought with them, world class engineering and personnel and the base for developing its own electric chassis. “Our lead engineer came to us from supercars and everything you see here has been designed from the ground up with the world’s best engineers and so the future is great for Bustech,” said Bustech Chief Operating Officer Martin Hall. “We’re the only true Australian bus manufacturer left in the country with the profit staying here in Australia.” Bustech can produce up to 200 buses a year with its current setup but Hall said that the capacity is endless, particularly with double shifts, so long as they can employ the staff needed to achieve those numbers.

SEA goes overseas to NZ

The SEA Electric SEA 300-85 EV was showcased at the New Zealand Trucking Industry Show, with the all-electric model set to accelerate the sustainability push across the country’s transport sector.

Now available for order in New Zealand, the model is highly adaptable to a range of final applications, such as dry or temperaturecontrolled freight, as a cherry picker, a tipper, a refuse vehicle and more, with a choice of wheelbase and payload combinations available.

The SEA 300-85 EV represents SEA Electric’s launch as an official OEM, with the line assembled as new at the company’s Australian facility.