Aussie electric company cracks the US

Following its US launch at the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, Australian electric technology company, SEA Electric, is set to exhibit at California’s Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) expo on April 24-25.

The Work Truck Show saw SEA Electric take a number of vehicle orders that will soon be deployed to cities including Detroit, Philadelphia, New York City and San Francisco.

The company will use the ACT expo to display its electric-powered Ford F-59 ‘Stripped Chassis’ along with a fully electric Isuzu NRR.

The display Ford F-59 stripped chassis is powered by the SEA-Drive 120b power-system which produces 150kW of continuous power and 250kW of maximum power, but more importantly for a commercial vehicle, continuous torque of 1230Nm and an impressive maximum torque figure of 2500Nm.

The second of the display trucks is an Isuzu NRR that also features the SEA-Drive 120b power-system.

Both vehicles have operating ranges of up to 350km.

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SEA Electric also has a Ford Transit van program underway which will enter trials mid-year. This van features the SEA-Drive 70 power-system which provides continuous power of 75kW, maximum power of 134kW and 700Nm of maximum torque for a similar operating range of up to 300km.

Batteries for all three vehicles can be fully charged overnight in 4-6 hours using a 22kW on-board charger, which allows them to be plugged-in and charged from any three-phase power source.

Commenting on the response to the vehicles in the US, SEA Electric Group Managing Director, Tony Fairweather said: “Feedback in the United States to our SEA Electric technology from both government and private buyers has been extremely positive with several customers already placing orders.”

Fairweather explained that the SEA-Drive powered vehicles were ideal for urban and metropolitan back-to-base distribution applications.

“For back-to-base operations EV technology is extremely attractive because at the end of the working day, these vehicles are conveniently charged (off-peak) overnight and ready to go again the next morning,” he said.

“Operators can also expect a payback period of less than four years (without incentives) on their SEA-Drive powered truck or van, so with a battery lifecycle of up to 10 years, there are great efficiencies to be gained over the whole life of the vehicle.”

Earlier this year SEA Electric established its US company in Los Angeles and appointed its first US-based employees to guide its new products and future projects through US certification and distribution.