SEA Electric launches in the US

Victoria-based company SEA Electric, which is at the forefront of EV technology in this country and has already produced electric variants of Australian-spec Isuzu, Hino and IVECO models, is expanding its horizons with a major push into the massive US market.

The company, which is headquartered in Melbourne and has operations in New Zealand, Europe and now the US, is set to showcase two electric trucks at the looming Work Truck Show in Indianapolis in March, and will attend the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in California in April.

The company will display a Ford F-59 'Stripped Chassis' truck along with an Isuzu NRR – both are popular commercial platforms in the US and SEA Electric says both prototypes are in an "advanced build stage".

The Ford has been assembled at Ford's DCP plant in Detroit while the Isuzu has been built at a nearby American third-party plant.

The company also recently opened its first US site in Los Angeles, appointing US-based employees to guide these new products and future projects.

According to SEA Electric Group Managing Director, Tony Fairweather, establishing a presence in the United States was a crucial step in the company's progression.

"We see a lot of opportunities in the States; it's an extremely large commercial vehicle market with a strong interest in sustainability – the US is an important part of our growth plans," he said.

"The country’s high urbanisation and sprawling cities also provide conditions where EV can deliver operators a lot of efficiency gains, not to mention the obvious environmental benefits."

Related reading:
Isuzu announces electric truck
Hino rolls out new models at Tokyo Motor Show
Victoria jumps on the electric vehicle revolution

The Ford F-59 Stripped Chassis is powered by the SEA-Drive 120b power-system. The company claims it produces 150kW of continuous power and 250kW of maximum power, along with continuous torque of 1230Nm and maximum torque of 2500Nm.

The same power system features in the Pantech-bodied Isuzu NRR.

SEA Electric says both vehicles have operating ranges of up to 350 kilometres (220 miles).

Shortly following the Work Truck Show, both vehicles will enter in-service trials with major US fleets.

Also in the pipeline is a Ford Transit van with SEA-Drive 70 power system, due to enter trial in April. With the same range at the other two vehicles, SEA Electric says it offers continuous power of 75kW and maximum power of 134kW, plus maximum torque of 700Nm.

All three vehicles can be fully charged overnight in four to six hours using a 20kW on-board charger, which allows them to be plugged in and charged from any three-phase power source.

"Operators can expect a payback period of less than four years on their SEA-Drive powered truck or van, so with a battery lifecycle of approximately 10 years, there are great efficiencies to be gained over the whole life of the vehicle," said Mr Fairweather.