A Sydney climate tech startup looking to electrify heavy freight supply chains has shown what’s possible in a demonstration trial with impact toilet paper brand Who Gives A Crap.
New Energy Transport (NET), founded in 2024, by Daniel Bleakley and Scania’s former head of innovation, Fredrik Pehrsson, is a trucking company delivering zero-emission heavy road freight solutions by using electric prime movers and renewable energy.
To demonstrate the possibilities for small-to-medium businesses as Scope 3 supply chain emissions reporting begins to roll out, Who Gives A Crap teamed up with New Energy Transport and Volvo for a port-to-warehouse run powered entirely by an electric heavy truck — a milestone in making zero-emission freight accessible beyond big corporates.
The 88km round trip, which took just under two hours, used 34% of the truck’s charge and only 120kWh of energy, with the Volvo FM Electric prime mover complete transporting a 40-foot shipping container from Port Botany to Who Gives A Crap’s Sydney warehouse in Yennora.
The demonstration tested real-world routing, performance, and operational complexities to generate insights into what it will take to scale electric freight solutions in Australia.
NET’s pitch is that it can offer zero emission road freight at no extra cost to diesel-based freight.
Cofounder Daniel Bleakley said the trial demonstrated commercial and economic viability, with the trip easily being able to be done a second time on the same charge and with the same productivity as diesel trucks but without the emissions, while also reducing costs.
“We’re incredibly proud to be partnering with Who Gives a Crap who are as passionate about electrifying heavy road freight as we are,” he said.
“We’re really pleased with the results of the demonstration. We’ve proven that we’re able to operate heavy electric trucks for port cartage under the same conditions as diesel trucks, transporting the same payload in the same time across the same route – only we can do it with zero emissions, zero pollution and significantly reduced road noise.”
Transport set to become Australia’s biggest source of emissions by 2030, and heavy trucks account for nearly half of road transport pollution.
Who Gives A Crap head of sustainability at Bernie Wiley said that sustainability doesn’t have to come at the cost of efficiency and the business wanted to show that SMEs don’t need deep pockets or giant fleets to play their part in cutting emissions.
“Decarbonising our supply chain has been a key focus for us for several years. By the end of this year, 30% of our outbound orders through ANC will be delivered by EV, supported by new warehouse charging solutions. This latest pilot takes our ambition to the next level,” he said.
“Heavy freight is one of the hardest parts of any supply chain to decarbonise, so we wanted to partner with NET to prove it’s not just possible, but practical. The results have been incredibly promising, and we’re excited to explore how we can expand electric trucking across our network. It’s great to show that when the right technology and partners come together.”
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