New Zealand’s first electric milk tanker will start quietly calling at Fonterra farm gates starting in May.

Fonterra is using a XCMG E700 8x4 battery swap truck, supplied by Auckland-based Etrucks and supported by funding from the Low Emissions Transport Fund (LETF), for a trial demonstrating the potential for decarbonisation of heavy transport in rural areas.

New Zealand’s first e-tanker is currently under construction at Fonterra’s engineering workshop in Morrinsville, where the tank is being fitted to the XCMG chassis. When complete, the 46-tonne (GVM) unit will operate from Fonterra’s Waitoa plant in the Piako district.

Fonterra estimates the truck will have about 140km range and a full charge is expected to take about three hours. The truck won’t be idle during that time as the Waitoa plant is being equipped with XCMGs battery swap system that allows a replacement battery to be fitted in about six minutes.

Although equipped with Fonterra’s standard 28,000 litre tank and trailer combination, the heavy battery installation reduces the working capacity of the truck by about 2300 litres compared to an equivalent diesel truck to meet its 46-tonne GVM permit.

Fonterra says it is exploring multiple aspects of the e-tankers capabilities including; how far it can go, how easy it is to charge, milk collection, maintenance, efficiency, cost, and driver comfort and safety.  

“The global technology investment in sustainable land, air and sea transport is phenomenal. Our teams are constantly screening the possibilities to see what could work across our supply chain,” says Fonterra COO Fraser Whineray. 

“Leading in sustainability is one of three key parts of our long term strategy.  This e-tanker is one of several promising opportunities being trialled by the Co-op.”

The choice of Waitoa as a base is because of nearby supplying farms located on relatively flat land, which allows shorter runs and more predictable battery consumption due to fewer hills.

But there’s also a historical connection. From the early 1900s through to about 1920, Waitoa was home to a fleet of US-built Walker electric trucks which collected milk from local farms, making it a fitting home to the first modern milk collection electric tanker in New Zealand. 

The Fonterra trial is one of four Battery Swap XCMG E700 trucks going into use with funding from the latest round of LETF co-funding grants announced in late-February. 

Firth Industries plans an Auckland trial with a 8x4 Battery Swap concrete mixer while E700 6x4 tractor units are being put to use by Mainfreight and Phoenix Metal Recyclers NZ.

Mainfreight will trial its truck on an Auckland-Hamilton inter-city freight transport project. A battery swap gantry and charger will be installed in Hamilton with other infrastructure to be used in Auckland.

Phoenix Metal Recyclers NZ Ltd will deploy an electric 34-tonne battery-swap truck (GCM of 49t) in Northland to transport recycled metal and demolition waste. The 180kW charger will be made available to other transport companies in the area.