Australian electric truck company SEA Electric is continuing to establish its presence in the lucrative US commercial vehicle market, announcing the creation of a hub and expanded team in California.

The company, which uses its patented drive technology to electrify a range of truck brands including Hino and Isuzu, already has several large electric truck orders in the US to its name.

One such order includes 100 electric Hino 195 trucks for fleet provider Zeem Solutions that will be first deployed in California.

The new 1,114 square metre facility will provide Sea Electric with a base from which to deliver and provide after-sales service and maintenance in the US western state.

SEA Electric’s founder and President Tony Fairweather said “we are excited to add this important Torrance facility to our ever-expanding global footprint. California is a progressive, early adopter of our technology. We are proud to return that support with this facility.”

In addition to announcing the new facility, SEA are adding trucking industry veteran Steve Brooks on board as VP for sales in North America.

It’s another solid stepping stone for the Australian commercial electric vehicle company, which was first formed in 2017 and first announced its intention to expand into the US just 12 months ago.

Sea Electric is also working with the La Trobe Valley Authority to create a local facility which would provide 500 jobs and at which 2,400 electric trucks a year would be built.

In October 2018 Victorian premier Daniel Andrews announced an undisclosed sum would be committed as part of a five-year support package to build the “massive” EV assembly facility.

The deal, which draws from a $266 million La Trobe Valley package, is intended to help the region transition from coal.