en.Wedoany.com Reported - Electric road freight startup New Energy Transport (NET) has taken delivery of its first Volvo electric tractor unit, with consumer goods giant Unilever becoming the company's first customer.
The Volvo FH was officially handed over at a ceremony in Sydney Harbour and immediately put into commercial operation, delivering consumer goods from Unilever's distribution center in Ingleburn to customer sites in the Sydney metropolitan area on weekdays.
The electric FH has a range of up to 400 kilometers and takes approximately 60 minutes to charge from 20% to 80%, which Volvo says is ideal for depot charging or planned stops.
This delivery is also the first truck financed by NET under a new arrangement between Volvo Financial Services and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), designed to reduce leasing costs for heavy electric trucks.
The truck is one of 11 Volvo electric vehicles that NET plans to deploy over the next 12 months as part of its Rapid Deployment Plan, which aims to have 20 electric trucks and six mobile charging units in operation by the end of 2026.
The plan is supported by an initial $5 million equity financing backed by the Jekara Group and facilitated by Pollination.
NET Co-CEO Fredrik Pehrsson said having Unilever as the company's first customer was a significant endorsement. "New Energy Transport is proud to partner with Unilever and Volvo to make heavy electric road freight a reality in Australia. This is a major milestone as we take the keys to our first truck and bring our first customer onto the road," he said.
Pehrsson said Volvo's national dealer and service network would provide confidence in vehicle uptime, while Unilever's commitment demonstrated growing confidence in zero-emission freight. "Electric road freight means lower costs, greater reliability, and real emissions reductions. It is brands like Unilever that will drive the large-scale transformation, improving efficiency while decarbonizing the supply chain," he said.
Brooke Sprott, Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability for Unilever Australia and New Zealand, said reducing heavy freight emissions remains one of the company's biggest supply chain challenges. "Decarbonizing heavy freight is one of the most complex challenges in our supply chain, and it is not something any single company can solve alone," Sprott said. "That is why we are proud to be New Energy Transport's first partner and to utilize their first heavy electric tractor unit in Australia."
Volvo Trucks President Roger Alm said the partnership demonstrates how collaboration between manufacturers, financiers, and operators can accelerate the transition to low-emission transport. "The collaboration with New Energy Transport shows that through collaboration, the transition to low-emission transport is advancing," Alm said.
Martin Merrick, President of Volvo Group Australia, said the project brings together "a customer ready to lead, a freight operator ready to invest, and a truck partner with proven technology and support systems."
NET is also advancing its planned base in Wilton, southwest Sydney, which will become Australia's largest heavy electric truck depot.
The project, selected under the federal government's Investor Front Door program, is expected to open by the end of 2027, initially accommodating 50 electric trucks before gradually expanding to 200.
The company ultimately plans to build a network of electric freight hubs connecting Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, and Brisbane by 2031.
