In partnership with BHP, transport and logistics giant Centurion has just welcomed its first electric truck in the form of a Fuso eCanter.
The eCanter is Australia’s first OEM all-electric truck, which produces zero emissions and virtually no noise. The purchase comes after Australia Post recently became the first company to take the truck on.
Based in Perth, Centurion operates across Australia, with 16 distribution centres and a fleet of over 2000 vehicles nationwide. Its vehicles travel more than 60 million kilometres a year, providing essential goods across a variety of industries and regions including Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland.
The new eCanter will be based at Centurion’s Mackay branch, where it provides 3PL and network services to multiple mine sites across Central Queensland.
Centurion estimates the new electric truck will prevent seven tonnes of carbon emissions a year.
At the unveiling, Centurion CEO Justin Cardaci said Centurion is committed to reducing its carbon emissions right across its Australian operations.
“Today is a significant step for Centurion and our early steps towards low-carbon operations across our business, with this newly deployed fully-electric truck being the cornerstone of making our services to BHP more sustainable,” he said.
“While we’re deploying zero emission vehicles within our fleet, Centurion is also exploring alternative fuel supplies that will contribute to reducing our carbon footprint.”
He added that as Centurion continues to invest in modern trucks, it’s constantly looking for ways to apply new technologies to decarbonise its operations. “Currently, we are introducing high-productivity vehicles across our fleet, exploring options for nature-based offsets and accessing renewable energy across our sites in Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory,” Cardaci said.
The Fuso eCanter is distributed by Daimler Truck and Bus. President and CEO, Daniel Whitehead, says Daimler is proud of its association with Centurion.
“Centurion is taking a pioneering role when it comes to zero emission freight transportation in Australia and adding the ground-breaking Fuso eCanter to its fleet,” Whitehead said.
“We are very pleased to be able to offer Centurion the only original equipment manufacturer electric truck with active safety technology in Australia.”