Janus Electric Holdings has launched its first South Australian conversion centre in partnership with Archer Heavy Equipment, marking the start of what the company said is its Australia-wide rollout of its heavy vehicle electrification platform.
The Archer facility will serve as Janus Electric’s first dealer-led conversion centre in Australia, complementing its existing HQ operations in Fountaindale, NSW, and expanding national capacity to convert diesel trucks to electric drivetrains at scale.
Initial capacity at the Archer facility is expected to reach 50 truck conversions in the first year, with plans to scale to 150-200 conversions annually as demand builds.
According a Janus Electric strategy presentation released this month, a conversion kit costs between $150,000-$175,000, whereas a new Class 8 electric truck costs between $500,000-$900,000.
A statement said the official launch of the new facility will be marked by an industry event showcasing Archer’s flagship demonstrator, a fully converted electric heavy vehicle powered by Janus Electric’s swappable battery drivetrain platform.
This milestone signals a shift from early-stage deployment to a distributed, dealer-led national conversion network.
Janus Electric is currently in discussions with partners across Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, with additional dealership agreements expected before year-end.
At initial rollout, the dealer network is expected to deliver conversion capacity of at least 250 trucks per year, establishing the foundation for scaled electrification of Australia’s heavy vehicle fleet.
By combining vehicle conversion, battery infrastructure and dealership rollout into a unified platform, Janus Electric is positioning for national-scale deployment aligned with emerging government funding priorities, rather than fragmented, single-asset projects.
Janus Electric CEO, Ben Hutt said further targeted incentives and coordinated investment will be critical to unlocking industry-wide adoption.
“This is a genuine inflection point. We’re now building the infrastructure and capacity to electrify heavy transport at scale and in real operating environments,” Hutt said.
“The demand is growing every day, and the economics are increasingly compelling, but even with conversion costs significantly below new electric trucks, these are still meaningful upfront investments for operators already under pressure from energy costs.”
Hutt said what’s needed now is the catalyst of government support.
“Targeted government incentives, aligned across federal and state levels,would accelerate uptake materially and get more electric trucks on the road, faster.”
Janus said the Archer facility and the additional Janus Electric facilities will provide fleet operators with a commercially viable alternative to full vehicle replacement, integrating electric drivetrain conversion, swappable battery systems and rapid deployment timelines.
“We’re seeing strong demand from the Adelaide carrier community to convert diesel trucks to electric,” said Jared Archer, Managing Director of Archer Heavy Equipment.
“Operators can see the cost savings and the operational benefits, and many are ready to convert immediately. We now have the technical capabilities and support in place to make this happen.”
The announcement of the new facility in South Australia comes shortly after Fennell Forestry Managing Director Wendy Fennell told ABC News that she’d ended her trial of a converted Kenworth T609 in the state’s south-east due to cost reasons.
She said the trial that started in 2023 had shown the vehicles are fit for some use in the forestry industry, but are not financially viable, even with diesel prices skyrocketing.
“The reason why the truck is no longer in operation is it wasn’t financially viable to continue it when you compare it with a like-for-like diesel truck,” Fennell said.
“The costs that impaired that truck was the charging infrastructure costs.
“You don’t have to pay for service stations, you only pay for the diesel.
“The network charges the energy companies would charge because we’re a big user of electricity just impaired the cost comparison.”