When Alsco Australia delivers its innovative range of workwear, linen, commercial floor matsand industrial cleaners to customers in the future, there’s every chance they will arrive inelectric trucks
The arrival of a pair of SEA Electric SEA 85e trucks in the Alsco Australia fleet marks an important step for the business as it sets out to achieve its 2030 sustainability goals.
Well on the way into its sustainability journey, Alsco has recently installed solar panels across a number of its sights to make use of the sun’s power to produce electricity.
Those new solar panels, in Sydney and Melbourne in particular, will now be used to charge up electric trucks to assist in the delivery requirements of the business.
Alsco Australia group chief executive Mark Roberts says the new trucks would assist the company in its mission to lessen its impact on the environment.
“In around 2017, we noticed that conversations were changing in the marketplace, and customers were demanding more of us in terms of a better future and our ongoing legacy,” Roberts says.
“We’ve listened to our customers, and we are driving our business differently, which includes reassessing our environmental impact and how we interact with our local communities.
“Our SEA Electric partnership has been ongoing for a number of years now, stretching back to New Zealand, and we have built on that with the delivery of these two vehicles in Australia.
“It’s our first foray into EVs locally, and we intend to do a lot more in the space.
“The really exciting thing is that this Melbourne truck will be powered entirely by renewables, with our recent facility extension including the installation of rooftop solar.”
The SEA 85e trucks Alsco has purchased have a 125kW of torque and a 138kWh battery and are capable of 300km on one charge, unladen. They also have an electric-powered tailgate.
SEA Electric’s Asia Pacific president Daniel Castro says having SEA trucks in Australian fleets is great news for the business.
“We applaud Alsco for supporting Australian manufacturing and taking the next step on their EV journey with SEA Electric,” Castro says.
“Alsco have these trucks destined for some significant routes within their business, with our SEA-Drive power-system proven to be up to the task.”
While the trucks are new to Alsco in Australia, Alsco in New Zealand were early adopters of SEA Electric’s technology. Since 2017 they have added a number of trucks, including New Zealand’s first inter-city pure-electric heavy vehicle.
The SEA Electric range of electric trucks includes models ranging from 4.5t through to 22.5t.