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https://thedriven.io/2024/09/12/huge-ev-charging-hub-to-service-electric-grocery-deliveries-in-australias-biggest-city/>
"UK company Zenobē is moving on from Sydney’s electric buses and into grocery
delivery, locking in $8.5 million in federal funding to do so.
The charging infrastructure company will build an electric truck charging site
in Sydney for grocery delivery trucks, with a grant from the Australian
Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).
It’s not the first time Zenobē has worked with ARENA. In 2021 the federal green
bank gave it $5 million towards the $37.2 million ‘Next Generation Electric Bus
Depot’ in Leichardt, Sydney.
It is this kind of green finance that is critical to getting new projects like
the bus hub and the future grocery delivery site at Mascot underway, said
Zenobē founder Nicholas Beatty in a statement.
With the new project, Zenobē will own and operate the $19 million charging site
and 60 electric trucks, which will be leased to Woolworths under an
electric-vehicle-as-a-service model.
EV charging as a service is a model that is increasingly used in Australia,
allowing companies to install charging sites without having to invest in the
infrastructure themselves, but including the vehicles in the deal is a new
element.
Woolworths is particularly keen on this solution as it sidesteps “significant”
operational and financial uncertainties such as securing sufficient power,
installing and maintaining charging infrastructure, replacing batteries,
maintaining a reliable service, and keeping costs down, the company says.
“We are working to make our fleet of home delivery trucks 100 per cent electric
by 2030, and we know that will only be possible with the support of
sustainability leaders like Zenobē,” said Woolworths head of last mile
innovation and partnerships Wendy Briggs said in a statement.
The Mascot site will have 22 charging ports and a second life battery made from
repurposed EV batteries.
While Woolworths is the cornerstone customer, the site is open to all comers
keen to charge their electric trucks, Zenobē says.
The company expects work on the charging hub to begin in September and be ready
early next year."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
