Even though our vehicle industry is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, it looks like there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
SEA electric are building new electric powered medium sized delivery trucks. They really are modifying an existing new truck by swapping out the power train however they are doing this in conjunction with the manufacturer from the get go.
They are about to set up a manufacturing facility in the Latrobe Valley.
Then there's ACE-EV that is releasing a small city delivery van to the market shortly. Also built here.
What I like about this is the targetting of the technology. Batteries are not good enough for really long distances but as these delivery vehicles travel relatively short distances every day, they are ideal. Especially as there is a lot of stopping and starting and all the trucks are diesel. So while evs won't be suitable for the whole population, there are thousands of delivery trucks operating every day that are parked overnight. They should fit in quite well with the current technology. As battery tech gets cheaper and more renewable power becomes available, they can only get better and cheaper to operate.
