<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/18/can-electric-trucks-win-over-australias-fossil-fuel-die-hards-or-is-diesel-here-for-the-long-haul>
"It was one of the most extreme tests for an electric truck in Australia –
pulling 68 tonnes, loaded with steel, up the notorious Mount Ousley escarpment
from Port Kembla to Sydney.
Bo Christensen, a fleet electrification specialist, followed behind the
Windrose prime mover in last year’s trial. “It’s a very tough run, but we were
overtaking pretty much all the trucks going up the hill,” he says.
“We did it pretty comfortably.”
The ongoing US-Israel war on Iran and the conflict over the critical strait of
Hormuz oil shipping route sent diesel prices soaring and brought Australia’s
reliance on the mostly imported fuel into sharp relief.
In response, conservative politicians have been calling for more oil drilling
and more refineries. The Australian government this week announced a $10bn fuel
security package including $3.2bn to store a billion more litres of diesel and
jet fuel.
There has been little talk from political leaders of the other way to lower the
country’s risk from future fuel shocks – powering trucks with electricity.
“Unfortunately what’s happening in Iran is reminding people that hoping for
cheaper diesel is not a strategy,” the founder of Chinese electric-truck maker
Windrose, Wen Han, says.
Han says his company expects to sell “hundreds” of its trucks in Australia this
year. He’s already sold 10 – at $450,000 each.
By 2030, Han aims to have sold 100,000 trucks globally “and I expect 20,000 of
those to be in Australia,” he says. “We will be the dominant truck.”"
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
