All Purpose Transport says it has been impressed with a trial it has conducted with news arrived Chinese electric truck brand, JAC citing good range, drivability and performance while working with client Fantastic Furniture.
The reborn JAC unveiled the its new N55 EV electric light duty truck at the recent Brisbane Truck Show and the truck went into service with All Purpose immediately after the Brisbane Show.
During the trials the new JAC N55 EV apparently proved a winner for All Purpose and Fantastic Furniture.
All Purpose Transport’s divisional manager – new furniture, Mitch Devine, said the truck had impressed with its good throttle response, quiet operation and power to allow smooth transition in traffic flow.
“The E55 is nice to drive and handles well and the cabin is comfortable and spacious, while the dash is nice and clear,” said Mitch Devine.
“We have put the truck through a number of days operation including local test drives for key stakeholders and staff, actual delivery operations and promotional activities on main highways and in suburban streets,” he said.
“Our longest day of testing so far saw the JAC perform extremely well, covering 139km of actual delivery operation, with about one third of that on highway and two thirds on suburban streets using about 73 per cent of its battery capacity,” he added.
“It has also proved quick and easy to charge and on several days we covered around 50km, using about 25 per cent of its battery capacity, which we were able to charge back to full capacity around 55 minutes,” Mitch said.
“The vehicle handled the deliveries well and had plenty left in the tank for more deliveries as required and our aim for the remainder of the trials is to push the vehicle out in regards to both distance and battery utilisation,” he said.
“The other factor for us to consider is the fact that during the trials the truck had to travel around 25kilometres in on highway running to get to the loading point, and if the vehicle was charged at the point of loading we could save additional battery percentage,” Mitchell Devine added.
All Purpose Transport’s general manager Paul Kalhart welcomed the JAC N55 as a new competitive alternative in the EV market as the company pursues its zero emission goals.
“All Purpose Transport commenced our EV journey in 2019 with a goal of 35 zero emission vehicles by 2025,” said Paul Kalhart.
“JAC’s new offering of EV to the Australian market has opened an alternative competitive solution to fleets replacing their diesel motors with a carbon neutral option. We thank BLK Auto for giving us the opportunity to undertake a month-long real life test drive of their JAC equipment,” he added.
Jason Pecotic, managing director of BLK Auto, the Australian and New Zealand distributor for JAC trucks, said the trials with All Purpose Transport have proved very promising and encouraging and the truck will move on to other major fleets in Sydney and Melbourne over the next few weeks.
“The initial trials have proved our claims about range driveability as well as performance, and we are pleased that All Purpose has been very happy with the truck,” said Jason.
“It is clear that this is a very competitive product that delivers strong range and zero emissions at a price that is extremely competitive and is already arousing lots of interest in the market from other operators who are seeking a cost competitive zero emission transport solution,” he said.
