ATN #418

produce up to that same torque to slow the
vehicle down,” Walker said.
“Instead of generating heat, we generate
energy back into the batteries to offer
additional range and it also doesn’t make
any noise at all.
“We’ve built a lot of trucks now and we can
confidently say it extends the brake life by at
least a factor of three.”
When discussing the on-road differences
between the SEA300 and the Hino 300 it’s
based on, Walker points out the difference is
all in the powertrain and its aim is to do the
same job more efficiently.
“The truck is designed to perform the job
that any truck does, so we’ve tried to make
this vehicle perform as well as, if not better,
than the diesel,” Walker said.
“We already know they’re quieter, there’s
less vibration, there’s less fatigue and we
know the power delivery is much smoother
than a diesel.
“We’ve proven they efficiently cart freight,
all 5 tonnes of it, just like a diesel. And the
same spritely performance evident at the
3.1-tonne tare is also evident at the full
eight-tonne GVM.”
Arguably the biggest drawcard for
the SEA300, over conventional diesel
truck options, is the complete lack
of noise.
To think that the absence of noise is
more of an attraction than braking and
acceleration surprised us too. Simply put,
It’s a relaxing place to be and produces no
noise pollution – two things not traditionally
associated with running a truck.
“There’s a lot of curfews placed on certain
applications, you can’t deliver your freight to
a suburban facility between certain times of
night,” Walker said.
“If it’s being delivered in an EV, there’s
no reason those curfews can’t change,
so quite frankly you get a more efficient
transport task.”
PERIODIC MAINTENANCE
At this stage, SEA Electric isn’t willing
to disclose specific pricing due to the
countless build specifications being
delivered, though these trucks are
unsurprisingly rumoured to come in at
a higher price-point than the diesel
equivalents they’re based on.
SEA Electric offers a three year/150,000km
warranty period and SEA Assist 24-hour
roadside assistance for the life of the
warranty, provided by NTI.
Servicing is undertaken at intervals in-line
with those of the Hino 300, although that’s
more to take care of periodic maintenance of
brakes, suspension and chassis.
“Much of our vehicle servicing is
standard suspension, you can’t avoid
that,” Walker said.
“The benefit of the dealer network is it
makes servicing and support function closer
to home for our clients.”
The electric motor and batteries are
relatively maintenance-free when looking at
the servicing of these trucks, estimated to
be good for a decade or more of daily use.
“An easier question to answer is, ‘how
much servicing isn’t done’, when compared
to a diesel,” Walker said.
“If you start with a diesel, you’ve got
fluids and filters, oils and the like. You’ve got
adjustments and belts; you’ve got exhaust
systems and cooling systems.
“Apart from checking electrical
connections and making sure the fluid
is circulating the motor, there isn’t
much more to do – you don’t pull it
apart to replace rings or rebuild one
of our motors.
“It’s mainly looking at high and low
voltage cabling; checking routing and
connections. And there is a treasure trove
of data available for our technicians to
enquire upon.”
FULLYLOADED.COM.AU July 2021 ATN 59