Image: ZenobeIn March, the UK-based fleet electrification company Zenobe announced a $100 million AUD investment in the Australian market, where it hopes to more than double the current number of 1000 electric trucks in the country by the end of the year. At the time, the firm said that investment will go towards procuring new electric trucks for commercial fleets and ‘the full ecosystem supporting them’ – including charging infrastructure, battery replacements, deployment and fleet planning.This plan now seems to be quickly bearing fruit. This week, Zenobe announced a new strategic partnership with the Winning Group, described as a ‘premium Australian appliance and logistics business’. In effect, this will see Winning Group roll out a new fleet of 30 electric trucks alongside new charging infrastructure under Zenobe’s ‘Electric Vehicle as a Service’ (EVaas) model.Initially, the retailer will introduce its new electric fleet across two key sites. So far, the partners have confirmed that ten 4.5-tonne Foton T5 e-trucks will be deployed from Winning Group’s Kemps Creek site in New South Wales. These will utilise existing charging infrastructure on-site. Meanwhile, a further 20 electric trucks will be brought into the company’s site in Altona, Victoria. Zenobe states that final fleet specifications are yet to be confirmed, but that these 20 trucks will be 8.5-tonne format and utilise bespoke charging infrastructure it will design and build.Harry Boileau, General Manager of Winning Services, described the partnership as a ‘significant step’ towards implementing a fully electrified end-to-end delivery journey ‘from port to customer door’. “This is about more than just electrifying vehicles – it’s about rethinking how we deliver into Australian homes,” he said. “By working together across the entire supply chain, we can reduce emissions, improve efficiency, and continue delivering on our mission to create the best experiences in the world, for the world.”Echoing the sentiment, Zenobe’s Country Director for Australia and New Zealand, Gareth Ridge, said: “Projects like this demonstrate how electrification can be scaled across diverse sectors. By combining vehicles, charging infrastructure and ongoing support into a single service, we’re helping partners like Winnings transition with confidence while reducing both cost and risk.”The initiative is being supported by ARENA, i.e. the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. While their role has not been fully specified, ARENA CEO Darren Miller said that the agency’s focus is on testing e-mobility for ‘real world operations’ and assessing how they can scale. “ARENA’s role is to help de-risk first-of-a-kind projects like this and ensure the lessons are shared,” he said. “The insights from this project on costs, performance, charging and operations will help other freight operators make informed decisions.”Overall, the collaboration marks another step forward for Zenobe’s Australian strategy, which last year saw it open Sydney’s first off-site truck charging hub – with retailer Woolworths as ‘the hub’s main tenant’.zenobe.com, thedriven.io
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