Windrose Electric Trucks Enter Australia’s Long-Haul Freight

Australia Welcomes its First Windrose Electric Trucks to Run Freight Between Sydney and Canberra

The first two Windrose electric prime movers have arrived in Australia as New Energy Transport (NET) prepares to begin daily electric freight services between Sydney and Canberra. The trucks are expected to enter regular operations with two foundation customers within the coming weeks, marking an early commercial deployment of heavy battery-electric trucks on Australian roads.

According to New Energy Transport, the Windrose AI – E700 electric semi trucks can travel more than 600 kilometers fully loaded on a single charge. The claimed range is particularly important for heavy-duty freight because trucks carrying large payloads generally require substantially more energy than passenger electric vehicles.

The initial operation is planned to run entirely without diesel. NET says the trucks will be used for regular freight services rather than demonstrations, providing an opportunity to evaluate battery-electric prime movers under real-world operating conditions.

According to Daniel Bleakley – Co-founder of New Energy Transport, NET plans to expand the initial deployment to 20 electric prime movers in Australia. To support the fleet, the electric trucking company is preparing a combination of mobile ultra-fast charging equipment and a dedicated charging hub near Sydney. The charging network will be important because long-haul electric trucks require significantly more energy than typical passenger EVs.

The Sydney–Canberra freight route will also provide a practical test of electric trucking infrastructure. Factors such as payload, weather, traffic, driving speed, terrain and charging availability can all affect the actual range of a heavy electric truck. Real-world performance will therefore be different from laboratory or manufacturer range figures.

Windrose is also working on a next-generation electric truck called the Mega E960. The company claims the vehicle will be capable of traveling up to 960 kilometers while fully loaded on a single charge, potentially extending the operating range of battery-electric trucks for longer freight routes.

However, the Mega E960 remains a future product, and first deliveries are not expected in the near term. For now, the initial Windrose trucks arriving in Australia will provide a more immediate test of whether battery-electric prime movers can handle regular freight operations.

If the deployment expands as planned, NET’s 20-truck fleet could provide valuable operating data on range, charging requirements, payload capacity, reliability and running costs. The project could also offer a practical example of how battery-electric trucks might gradually be introduced into Australia’s long-distance road freight sector.