Jemena has unveiled an Australia-first electric powered cherry picker truck as part of its effort to reduce carbon emissions across the Jemena Electricity Network in Melbourne’s North-West.
The electric cherry picker will reduce Jemena’s carbon output by 30 tonnes per year. This is in addition to other energy efficient initiatives already rolled out within the network including the installation of 500 LED ‘smart street lights’ that use up to 75 per cent less energy than traditional lighting.
Jemena’s executive general manager for electricity distribution Shaun Reardon said the electric cherry picker truck was made possible thanks to a partnership with Australian automotive technology company SEA Electric.
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“SEA Electric are a Melbourne-based manufacturer of electric vehicles and leader in converting commercial vehicles from diesel to electric,” Mr Reardon said.
“The cherry picker was converted into an electric vehicle as part of a major reconstruction over a 12-month period.”
SEA Electric sales director for Australia and New Zealand Joe Di Santo said his team is excited to see the industry-first vehicle join Jemena’s Victorian fleet.
“It’s been a special and historical project for the management and engineering staff at SEA Electric to partner with Jemena in the development of this Australian-first 100 per cent electric Elevated Work Platform service truck,” Mr Di Santo said.
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“The SEA Hino FG all-electric vehicle is anticipated to reduce Jemena’s carbon output by 30 tonnes per annum.”
“Not only is this electric powered cherry picker the first step in greening our fleet, it will also benefit our customers with a quieter operation and zero exhaust emissions,” said Mr Reardon. “We will look for new ways to further reduce the carbon emissions across our electricity network in the future.”
Originally a diesel truck, Nifty-Lift built a custom electric elevated work platform and SEA Electric conerted the Hino truck into a 100 per cent electric vehicle equipped with a 138kWh battery pack that provides around 200km of range. The elevated work platform is powered by the truck’s battery which will be charged at the end of each day and takes around six hours.
The electric cherry picker began operating within the Jemena Electricity Network this week.
