MUST BE LO

transport still contributes 20% of NZ greenhouse gas emissions. Of this, heavy vehicle transport makes up almost a quarter.

As RTF pointed out in a recent Government consultation on alternative transport fuels, NZ is a minuscule market for truck manufacturers and we are far too small to support the independent development of new power systems. Operators are almost entirely dependent on products already established on the international market, which means new fuel technologies, such as electric and hydrogen, can only be adopted when those technologies are widely available elsewhere.

“For many of NZ’s most critical freight tasks, such as logging, livestock transport and linehaul, alternative power technologies simply don’t exist,” says Leggett.

“It also must be recognised that NZ is a challenging transport environment, especially outside our major centres. The geography is steep, the road surfaces inconsistent and the weather variable.

“New trucks must be reliable in terms of both performance and servicing. Infrastructure, such as fast-charging stations or hydrogen fuel stations, are also few and far between.”

All this is not to say that, for specific tasks, suitable alternative-fuel vehicles don’t exist – because they do.

Late last year Auckland-based laundry business Alsco launched NZ’s first heavy electric highway freight vehicle. The truck, which is based on a Hino GH 1828 and runs at up to 22.5 tonnes fully-laden, will travel 284 kilometres every day, five days a week, between Rotorua, Taupo and Tauranga.