Australian startup Zero Automotive has launched an electric pickup truck for commercial use, based on the Landcruiser 79 series.

“It’s available in 20 to 120 kWh battery packs, with modular battery packs and a 700 Nm electric motor,” said Zero Automotive co-founder Tim Possingham. “That has more torque than the factory turbo-diesel V8 that’s normally found in this Landcruiser 79 series platform.”

Zero doesn’t plan to mass-produce the e-truck, which it calls the ZED70, but rather supply custom, commissioned vehicles that meet specific industry needs, mainly in the agribusiness and mining industries. During the design phase, the company worked with mining and energy companies to better understand their vehicle needs, such as zero emissions in underground mines.

The ZED70 is street-legal and boasts a range of up to 350 km (220 miles). Zero says it will cost less than $200,000 Australian ($136,457). It’s available in wagon, dual cab, single cab and troop carrier configurations and has regenerative braking, high-voltage air conditioning, and heating.

The City of Adelaide plans to trial the ZED70 in the next month and a mining company is testing its regenerative braking system.

“This vehicle is a bespoke vehicle that we design to suit the application, whether it be mining, agribusiness, or local and state governmental agencies,” said Possingham.

“It’s a priority for those types of clients to reduce their emissions and also clean up the environment that some of the workers are working within. Diesel particulates, in particular, are hazardous for the people to breathe in, so in a confined environment where there’s very large costs involved in ventilation, removing the source of noxious fumes is certainly something that can have a shorter payback for the ute.”

Source: Zero Automotive

