This GIANT Electric Semi Can Swap Out Its Batteries!

[@grantpritchard7492]

That has to be one the best videos on this channel for a very long time. I'm all for fancy new cars and stuff but this repurposing of existing assets is what we really need. Fantastic.

[@freethinker4991]

A little further info the mention 95% of fuel Australia imports cost peaking at approximate AU$ 4 bn per month In March 2022, which is approximately 5% of monthly Australian GDP for 2022. Note depending on import export economic factored the percentage can rise higher the 12% of monthly GDP. It should be an economic imperative and a aspect of national security that Australia goes electric. I agree that Repurposing of existing assets is one way of achieving this.

[@kirkellis4329]

Yes, I especially like the fact that their conversion has been fitted to all the major truck manufacturers. I'd like to see economical conversion "kits" for cars, but where $125k works for a working asset like a big truck, even $10k for an ICE car conversion probably would sell well. Which means the existing 2 billion ICE cars on the road are going to be scrap value in less than 20 years. You would think that if Subaru can sell an ICE AWD car for $20k, they could substitute electric drive unit and battery for the ICE components and sell an EV version for $25k -- instead the Soltera is like $40k.

[@oldbloke204]

Yeah very true. It was a little ironic to see them using a gas forklift though tbh.

[@alanmay7929]

@@freethinker4991 lol!!! Fuel is needed for a lot of things and way more purposes and there are alternatives like biodiesel, biogas and gas which Australia also has alot!

[@alanmay7929]

@@freethinker4991 the Prelude FLNG from shell is a mamooth of gas production in Australia they can easily use to power those trucks and vehicles.

[@Certago]

Can we acknowledge how precise our chap here is with his forklift? Also, really good concept and amazing to see it on the road and working.

[@volkhen0]

I wonder how its connected. There have to be some rails to guide battery to the connector.

[@davidstacer]

@@volkhen0 at 14.32 in the video it shows the connectors in the charging rack that look like 3 GB/T DC connectors.

[@volkhen0]

14:32 thanks

[@petergersbach7355]

And the forklift is only until the robotic system is up and running. How good is that?

[@jur4x]

@@petergersbach7355 I think the beauty of this system is exactly in the fact you can do it either way. Unlike all the attempts in battery swapping for cars where it is pretty much the only option. With this system, you can have them changed without specially built robot. In some remote rural location, it is easier to implement. Like literally any old forklift with 3T lifting capacity can do it. Or anything you can fit forks on. Like a truck with manipulator arm, or a tractor.

[@Pottery4Life]

Robert, you've been hitting home runs on these latest episodes. Great information!

[@GI-AUS]

Ever since he came to Australia!

[@andymoss4285]

The regenerative breaking alone will have a huge impact on particulates. I hadn’t even thought about this. Awesome work.

[@wigs1098]

'Braking'

[@darrell857]

Probably a little less brake dust, but not much. They still need regular brakes on the trailer, and they already use engine braking as much as possible. Braking has to be biased, i.e. the trailer must apply more braking force than the cab or else the trailer will jackknife.

[@timcat1004]

@@wigs1098 lol

[@jaseastroboy9240]

@@darrell857 Or did he mean exhaust particulates? Also, the regenerative braking is a direct replacement for the existing exhaust brakes. Except the regenerative brakes can be used in a suburban area without waking everyone up. It sounds like it would be a neat system. For drivers of regular passenger vehicles the regenerative braking is something new and needs getting used to. But for drivers of these electric trucks, they would already be totally familiar with pressing a button to switch on brakes to assist with stopping or down hill speed control. It seems like there would be less retraining required for an electric truck than there is for an electric family vehicle.

[@SoulTouchMusic93]

@@darrell857 trucker here. dont disregard the engine braking in reducing particulate from brakes. on a scania you can only get 120 killowatts retarder or 180 if you spec it like that. mercedes gets 500 killowatt regen braking on their electric trucks. in america you have double drive which can put nearly double the regen braking on the ground. you could do most of your braking with regen. only drop the hammer when panick braking.

[@Stuntman707]

This makes complete sense. Recycling existing trucks. Getting around charging issues by swapping the batteries and then conditioning & charging them in a storage unit to keep them at optimum efficiency. Well done to these guys.

[@magnusE7]

To bad that Tesla scrapped their test to have interchangeable batteries.

[@byteme9718]

Nothing is simple on an EV because of the dangers involved. You don't just change batteries because there's a process to go through to make sure staff are safe and the vehicle works afterward.

[@Kaliburz]

Ummm, the idea of swapping batteries has been done for a long time.... look at electric forklifts in certain wearhouses. This just takes it to a different level.... and I am sure the cage the batts sit in are crash tested...

[@magnusE7]

@@Kaliburz now that lithium battery is coming to forklifts they go away from changing the battery. I loading at a place where they change their forklifts to lithium ion battery and they charge them in place in the forklift.

[@juliogonzo2718]

@@magnusE7 one of the problems I could see with lithium in a forklift is the lead acid batteries act as part of the counterweight

[@firieflame8053]

As an employee I'm thrilled to see what you have produced from your visit. It was a pleasure to meet you and watch how you put these brilliant videos together!!

[@dmystify1381]

good to see a familiar face working there......sending regards...TK's brother.

[@richardsullman7939]

Can't wait to see, one of these batteries pack go thermal melt down

[@fatguyalwayseats]

I got a question for you. Are these not using lithium ion batteries and if they are where is the thermal management system? Do you have master service disconnects?

[@tommygunn8938]

@@richardsullman7939 there’s been a couple of there truck conversions combust, not to mention Janus’s own test truck which caught fire during testing last year.

[@Octamed]

You guys really need to put this on your website as the primary video and feature list. It's a great video.

[@keithwhite5657]

Now we are talking this is a huge game changer . Robert bring more of this please 😃

[@alanmay7929]

These aren’t huge game changers lol!!!!

[@alanmay7929]

The huge game changers would be actually making an electric road train that can go through the outback to remote locations….. on unpaved roads

[@redcollective]

Get @TruckerTim a go in one of these!

[@stuarthancock571]

@@alanmay7929 Your argument using remote outback transport operations is ridiculous. It’s clearly not for that. It’s for freight operators using standard routes between populated areas. Depot to depot.

[@alanmay7929]

@@stuarthancock571 lol!!!!!! My argument is not ridiculous you just had to said what they are designed for wtf!!!

[@richardturner7356]

Brilliant video. So inspiring to see a small Aussie company taking practical steps to repurpose existing truck stock for the EV transition. I wish you every success

[@Mitchvr32]

A local logging company here in South Australia recently took delivery, Looks like a great bit of gear. This is certainly a great way to help smooth out the grid and make the most of our abundance of renewables we have available to us.

[@jasondenys6776]

Yeah The Mount

[@markbarton2652]

I recently retired after 30 years working in a large manufacturing plant using 150 electric fork lift trucks. We have been utilizing battery swap out systems where spare batteries are charging while other batteries are being used just as these Janus systems are using for trucks. Great idea.

[@LukeA_55]

It just makes perfect sense to utilize exchangeable batteries like power tools to forget about charging downtime. And it's brilliant that they're refurbishing existing trucks to run on batteries rather than wasting the money manufacturing an entire new fleet

[@LukeA_55]

It seems like Tesla and other similar companies are trying too hard to be futuristic. We need more companies like Janus and Edison motors that are taking a common sense approach at electrifying the transportation & vocational industries

[@NeillWilkinson]

Very impressive! As a lorry driver, would love to see this in the UK.

[@marviwilson1853]

Absolutely. Also very applicable to bus operations which run on more predefined routes. Given the numbers he quoted it would seem National Express Coaches could run from Newcastle to London on a single charge. Then swap out at London Victoria coach station. Future looks interesting.

[@joeblack4026]

this should be done in EU as well

[@kenhickford6581]

Re:"As a lorry driver, would love to see this in the UK". You mean: - "As a lorry driver, would love to live to see this in the U.K". Lol!

[@stepheneyles2198]

@@marviwilson1853 I hope that they relocate Victoria coach station before this technology arrives - it's already overcrowded and unpleasant for both passengers and NEC drivers!

[@OolTube02]

Of course in Australia it's a real no-brainer. They're a country the size of China (or the US minus Alaska) with a population less than half of the UK and a distance from the Sun of roughly 50km. They have so much potential for clean renewable energy there and all the resources for batteries. The one thing they have less of, because of their small population, is a labor pool, but everything else exists in abundance there. If they don't go fully electric of all countries then something is very wrong.

[@adolfgerhardhermann5952]

So every 300 kilometers you WILL need (and also pay for it) a charging facility WITH personnel AND fully loaded interchangeable batteries? Is there a liquid cooling for this batteries or not? For the current you are pulling out of the batteries to move 97 tons I suppose there has to be some cooling technology on board (and at the charging stations also) - which complicates the whole thing and makes it expensive.

[@junior.senior]

This is breath of fresh air! The amount of pollution that this solution addresses is incredible. The cultural issue that this address is terrific. I've been waiting for someone to take this approach. 🤩

[@alanmay7929]

The amount of pollution is actually not that bad considering that all those trucks have exhaust treatments systems unlike those massive aircrafts, ships……

[@markcayer4859]

@@alanmay7929 But the question is always how well are these exhaust treatment systems maintained? How many are out there on our roads worldwide running at less than acceptable levels?

[@gmeister03]

Loll. Batteries are way worse

[@economistfromhell4877]

@@gmeister03 Rubbish.

[@economistfromhell4877]

@@markcayer4859 The trucks exhaust management systems are reducing the trucks engine life and increasing costs. This solution represents a forward path that can begin the journey. The key part is that the system allows batteries to be upgraded.

[@philiptaylor7902]

It’s great to see these stories coming out of Australia. I don’t think I have ever seen a positive story about the electrification of transport in Australia, lovely to see FCS putting the record straight.

[@roguebullet4220]

That was a truckin' brilliant episode 👏

[@farnthboy]

I see one of these converted cement trucks caught fire in Melbourne causing major disruption on the West Gate freeway last year. Firies hand great difficulty putting it out. Caveat emptor.

[@DLCaster]

The solution shown in this episode seems ideal for local hauling infrastructure. It's also easy to imagine a short trailer containing several additional battery modules to extend the range. The ideas shown here are all very good and clearly demonstrate what is possible with just a little bit of imagination and engineering. Robotic battery exchange is certainly a good next step, along with standard form factors for the battery modules. I think this company has the right ideas for how to move forward, particularly the part about re-powering older vehicles. Overall, an outstanding proof of concept and productization of technologies.

[@geoffsemon7411]

It's not just for local routes. Janus has installed a battery swap station at Albury/Wodonga which is about halfway between Sydney and Melbourne which makes it easy for a Janus truck to do this run

[@mustangecoboosthpp3869]

You forget batteries are heavy, the more batteries and the bigger you make them the less load the truck can carry, It is not as simple as adding more batteries or even bigger batteries.

[@greatdane3343]

@@mustangecoboosthpp3869 their batteries are 2 tonne, the truck's capacity is 97 tonne, so an extra battery is approx 2% of the total capacity.

[@DLCaster]

@@mustangecoboosthpp3869 No argument here. The question is what loads must go where, when, and how best to move them within a particular range. A trailer of nothing but batteries added into the rest of the load is, in a sense pulling its own weight, the question being how much more it can contribute to the load-carrying and range capacity of the whole vehicle. This is where energy density and rolling resistance enter the equation, along with the topology of the terrain that must be covered.

[@jaseastroboy9240]

@@mustangecoboosthpp3869 Also the batteries replace the existing diesel tanks which hold about a tonne of fuel so two tonnes of battery isn't making a huge difference. But the reduction fuel costs would make a huge difference. Another thought would be the consistent weight. A battery weighs the same charged or discharged, so you get a consistent and predictable weight on the driven wheels. With a diesel setup the weight on the driven wheels reduces by around tonne when the fuel tank gets low.

[@rogeryoung2049]

This has to be the smartest conversion I have seen after looking at all the electric cars and trucks over the years. Having worked on trucks for 30 years, this is going to be a great game changer for the trucking industry. Reducing emissions in the cities will be greatly reduced with this style of conversion. The diesel will not be replaced but this conversion will assist the movement of goods in all countries including where I live in Canada. This is what our government should bring into the country. If this can go across country, it will be great to see. As it is a long way across Canada, a battery exchange system across the country will greatly enhance this technology. I hope it takes off as pollution is killing us all and the world.

[@lindseyhatfield9017]

Well done guys, such an Aussie group of "Blokes" building an awesome system.

[@richardlangley90]

The two gentlemen being interviewed were awesome...had all the answers with no hesitation...obviously been through a number of these sessions and yet this is the first many of us would have heard of this. Thanks FullyCharged. I think the logic of reusing existing vehicles by converting them makes sense for the reasons presented....I think that Pick-up trucks (Utes) and vans as well as old sportscars and hotrods would also be prime candidates.

[@frantisekrichter1823]

Brilliant episode ❤ I love how Robert manages to find entrepreneurs who repurpose great vehicles by swapping in more efficient power trains. Not everything needs to be scrapped and built brand new👍

[@petergersbach7355]

The manufacturing statistics the Janus guy was quoting meant that trucks had to be recycled to meet the emissions targets; new trucks are not made fast enough.

[@alaneasthope2357]

Awesome. People ask about recycling batteries, these guys are recycling trucks. This should be done every where. Great video.

[@Video-tu4vn]

I think I may have suggested you do a video on Janus some time ago but you probably already had them on your radar. The swappable concept is better for more applications than the Tesla recharging model. Key to adoption will be infrastructure build out and I would hazard a guess Janus will partner with private equity or a big player or sell out entirely as the initial investment to bring this to wide spread adoption would have to be huge. Whatever the case, their swappable, modular system has so many more advantages. Lex used to run a fuel tanker company and he has pivoted 180* into this field. I have to take my hat off to him. He recognises the direction the world is travelling in and sees a business opportunity. I hope they do really well.

[@toneyeye]

Swapping batteries will be the best solution as we get suffcient battery supplies and hopefully standardzied packs and management systems that can recognize the state of each battery pack to make configurations on the fly.

[@Nikoo033]

Just brilliant. 😍 Just like we used to switch horses for “fresher” ones 😂 And I love the fact that they’re converting the old trucks. 🥰

[@40245722]

Fantastic to see this kind of enginuity happening in my own back yard Australia!! Wish I could be in Sydney this weekend for the Live show! Alas I don’t think I can but I’m going to try and help this company any way I can! Thanks to Robert and the Fully Charged crew for bringing us these incredible innovations first hand!

[@dmitrireavis1729]

I remember many years ago when you reported on Better Place and their idea of battery swapping. This seems like it could be the future for trucking in the US. One thing to add is that this could significantly reduce overhead for independent owner/operators, thereby increasing their income.

[@kirkellis4329]

Being able to swap in a few minutes is nice, but is it really necessary ? With large enough battery storage systems on site to do the charging, fast DC-DC charging can be done in 20 minutes regardless of pack size -- that is barely a bathroom break every 4 hours of driving. And you might save weight with a battery pack that doesn't need to be robust enough for all that constant handling.

[@ysesq]

@@kirkellis4329 fast charging damages batteries.

[@counterfit5]

Fast charging has negative effects on the lifetime of a battery, and there are losses with the transfer as well.

[@kirkellis4329]

@@counterfit5 There is fast charging and fast charging. Under 3C rate charging won't hurt a battery with active temperature management. 3C means a 20 minute charge.

[@Psi-Storm]

@@kirkellis4329 You can't fast charge above 70%. It drops to 1C and then drops further fast. With these size of batteries you carry around 200 kWh of extra battery (over half a ton) to fast charge from 5-80% in 20 minutes. Actually significantly more weight. The current design looks air cooled, since it only has 3 electric plugs connecting to the truck. Both packs would then also need a big ac unit plus the liquid to cool the batteries. And then there is the cost of electricity. A fast charged kWh costs at least 50 cent from the grid, while you can charge for less than 10 cent if you hook it up to solar or wind directly. With a consumption of 250kWh/100km, you basically save $1 per km driven. That are two drivers wages.

[@markyboyclark]

This IS SOOOO GOOOOOD!!!! THANK YOU FCS for covering this amazing company.

[@cf2994]

So glad you were able to do a story on Janus. I've been following them for some time and think their product is brilliant. Now governments need to give them and the trucking industry some support to upgrade our stinking fleet of trucks.

[@kadmow]

- too bad for those who say ""too complicated, can;'t be done. Simple- palletised battery, fork it in. Get back Trucking. The "Energy as a service model is the "no brainer" - obvs Janus have their Finances lined up (Where is the Noisy green Billionaires in this aspect... - NB, sure it won't suit all routes, will to the East/Southeast coast Capitals inter-routes (if Janus put in service centres, even owner drivers can use them)..

[@ritual64]

When this dropped I thought, This has nothing at all to do with me. I was wrong! All I can say is wow! This kind of thinking can change the world, great job, thanks Robert, I'm never skipping one of these videos again.

[@ElectricCarAustralia]

Great video Robert. You beat me to an interview with these guys and had to come all the way from the UK to do it 👍Really hope this takes off as unlocks so many additional benefits.

[@leifhietala8074]

1240 kW-h total = about $155 if I were to plug it in and charge up at my house. Even if the truck carried only a single 400-liter fuel tank, I couldn't fill it up so cheaply at the pump. Add in that the batteries can be charged up by on-site solar installations, and this is yet another weight dropped on the domestically-produced energy side of Australia's scale.

[@SJ8311]

The sheer clarity of thought and the drive to get the engineering done is wonderful to behold. The future is well on its way.

[@morninboy]

Chalk one up for the Aussies. Nice to see the Western Star truck. I live in the city where they used to be made. It was big news when Freightliner (Diamler) bought them out and all the local stock holders were excited as they soll their shares for a good profit. My neighbour used to work for them and thought it meant job security. I told him they would close down within two years, much to his scorn and ridicule. He is no longer my neighbour as they had to sell their house when the company left town and he lost his job. Do people not learn from history? Freightliner bought out there most reputable competitor. Western Star was constantly the top rated truck and it was sold all over the world.

[@robertcomerford375]

This operation so deserves to succeed. So well thought out on many levels.

[@JillesvanGurp]

Super cool solution. Crashes right through all the myths that people invent to argue electrical trucks are impractical and expensive. 1) swap the battery in a few minutes gets rid of long charging tines. 2) these guys are pulling 96 tonnes. That's higher than is legal on the roads in a lot of countries. Not an issue. 3) The weight: they remove 3.5 tonnes of engine and infrastructure and put back about 4 tonnes batteries and drive train. So half a tonne extra weight is not nothing. But on a truck that pulls 96 tonnes it's not a whole lot. It's not going to matter. 4) The battery goes into the same space occupied by the old ICE system. 2x 600kwh battery system. That's 1.2 mwh. Plenty of power, plenty of range. 5) The cost is fine. Much lower operating cost due to low energy cost and simpler maintenance. Over the life time of the vehicle it will save money. I like how they are giving old trucks a second life. These conversions can speed up EV adoption among truckers. Waiting for trucks to be written off and replaced would indeed take decades. Of course new trucks that are designed to be electric might still perform better.

[@steveroberts1861]

Fantastic. The stat about the amount of diesel the country has at any one time is very interesting and just another reason to change over.

[@lamsmiley1944]

I've been saying for years that Australia needs to transition to electric from a national security standpoint. If there was conflict with China the whole country would shutdown instantly because of the lack of fuel.

[@alanmay7929]

@@lamsmiley1944 lol!!! They won’t transition to electric until batteries are good enough for almost everything!

[@lamsmiley1944]

@@alanmay7929 Our reliance on imported fuel leaves us in an extremely venerable position. We have enough natural resources to produce all our energy with renewables, there's no reason we can't speed up adoption of EV's

[@alanmay7929]

@@lamsmiley1944 wrong!!!!! It's all about good relationships and a good gestion of what you already have! Australia is located in a very good location to be supplied with oil,let's not forget that the same oil is also needed to manufacturing tons and tons of products like tires, plastics, lubricants, fuel foe aviation, mining construction......

[@alanmay7929]

@@lamsmiley1944 WE can only improve EVs in which we improve the battery technology! Oh i even forgot the fuel for trains.....

[@d.p.2680]

This is what makes sense, not private cars, but starting on the commercial trucks, they pollute way more, i'm not sure I would own the battery, if it was to be shared with others, but i would rent it, or maybe have it on a subscription with power added. Then when all the trucks are converted, then they can just start banning the sale of diesel and petrol cars.

[@manatmatalan1]

Wow! This stuff is moving so fast now I'm struggling to keep up. I'm a UK trucker, but unfortunately, at 60yrs don't think I'll get to drive an EVHGV before I retire.

[@denismilic1878]

Pay yourself plane ticket to Down under, and make a fun trip.

[@YanKay93]

Can you guys please make a video about Designwerk from Switzerland. They also do electrification of all sorts of heavy load vehicles. Not prototypes... their vehicles are in operation for a couple of years now. Concrete trucks, waste trucks, ...you name it.

[@GreenJimll]

This might be of use to the really heavy haulage firms in the UK. About a decade ago I was talking to some Alleleys folk who were bringing us two second hand railway bridges (don't ask!) and one comment they made was their tractor units have longer than usual lifespans & would have difficulty matching increasingly stringent emissions standards and they were worried if they'd effectively be banned from city centres. This sort of upgrade would give them this class of heavy haulage with zero tailpipe emissions, longer equipment life and possibly lower running costs. Wins all round.

[@counterfit5]

How can you tell us not to ask about transporting two used train bridges?

[@blogobre]

@@counterfit5 lol... what he said.

[@ScottMurrayBestFamilyCars]

Not many hard questions, I note. So if you're adding one tonne to the overall tractor-trailer combination by exchanging the diesel powertrain for batteries and motors, is a trucking operator prepared to sacrifice one tonne's worth of PAY-load on every single trip? On a small fleet of five trucks, that's potentially five tonnes of cargo not paying bills or salaries on every trip. Trucking operators don't give a shit about emissions. They care about getting paid. Otherwise, what's the point? Fleet management is about numbers, it's about weight, costs and margins. Lindsay Fox doesn't run one of the country's biggest fleets on good intentions. He does it based on numbers. Don't get me wrong - it's a great concept and it's nice to see some Aussie innovations coming through in this way. Best of luck to them. I genuinely hope it succeeds. But in order to make it viable, as a journalist, you've got to ask harder questions than "Wow."

[@dmain6735]

Nice work Janus Trucks. That's the ticket. :)

[@relaxationstation7374]

As a 35 year veteran North American Continental International truck driver, I totally love it. This system definitely needs to be replicated in North America!

[@ragaloft]

This is without doubt the best video on Fully Charged. Sensible, well thought out solutions by small companies that will lead us to net zero. Well presented Mr Llewellyn. Thank you.

[@teklife]

this has got to be better by every metric i can think of. lower particulate matter, from emissions, AND brakes, little to no wear and tear on brakes, regen, cost per mile to move it, reliability, torque, drivetrain durability/longevity, less noise pollution (these big rigs are NOISY AF), ease of operation, etc.

[@callumcurtis15]

I can see this company going places especially in Australia where renewable power is already abundant .

[@toby9999]

Renewable power is potentially abundent but we're probably decades away from it actually being abundantly available. It takes a very long time to fund design, manufacture and build the stuff.

[@Nikoo033]

@@toby9999 not that long, it is just a matter of political will and public influence. Decentralised renewable energy production is key. In that respect, it’s pretty quick to design and install a solar installation.

[@Berkeloid0]

Solar is already abundant to the point that power is so cheap during the day that solar farms are struggling somewhat to make any money from the power they produce, meaning they are taking longer to pay back their installation costs. This means it's less attractive for investors to fund new solar farms, because it's taking longer and longer (years/decades) for the solar farm to turn any sort of profit. This is why battery storage is so exciting for people involved in commercial solar, because once the price drops to the point it is financially feasible to add batteries to a solar farm, it means the farm can start feeding power into the grid at night, when it's most profitable.

[@freethinker4991]

@@toby9999 The mention 95% of fuel Australia imports peaking at approximate AU$ 4 bn per month In March 2022, which is approximately 5% of monthly Australian GDP for 2022. Note depending on import export economic factored the percentage can rise higher the 12% of monthly GDP. It should be an economic imperative and a aspect of national security that Australia goes electric.

[@emceeboogieboots1608]

@@Berkeloid0 Good point, and when these truck batteries are swapped out and charged during the day they can take advantage of this. Hopefully they can park up and swap out at the end of the day to recharge in the morning

[@seanbritish]

I have to save this video makes total sence.

[@BenAllenBlog]

Amazing. Would love to see a follow up video when they have the battery swap robots up and running.

[@blackcoffeeandbooks8884]

New engines, which also use counter rotating magnets inside them are also changing the way energy is produced. Interesting new inventions are happening every moment all around the world. The future of transport will be at this rate incredible!

[@Simon-dm8zv]

Ehm no they are not. Basic physics will always apply.

[@peterbro9581]

A hundred years ago Nikola Tesla drove an electric car for a week using power that came from a small box of components. Free energy occurs when energy is transduced from a higher dimension down into this one. We are on the verge of a change in the paradigms of science, both in terms of physics and medicine and batteries will soon be seen as we view oil lamps as a form of lighting.

[@alistairl]

Loving the Australian series and the spread of engineering. And the stats on these trucks - go large or go home!

[@robzippier1332]

Is that the truck which caught on fire just infront of the tunnel in Melbourne? And didn’t it take nearly 12 hours to put the fire out and release toxic plumes of smoke over the city?

[@markplain2555]

I so wish I could be the agent for these guys in Canada. The drive on this side of the world, for companies to achieve net-zero means that this will be the in thing in the near future.

[@nadnerb2k]

We don't have any seriously cold temperatures here in Australia, -4C would be about the worst we'd experience. I'm sure it could be adapted for arctic conditions though, especially if it can be kept warm and insulated while charging in the station

[@rods6405]

But you have to pay for 2 (or more) batteries $$$ and a storage and charging facility for one of the batteries $$$ and your battery wont be compatible with any other battery or charging facility from any other manufacture so we will have to have duplication of many items with no compatibly therefore the support cost of the electronics / batteries will be high. VS Pull into a service station for 10 15 minutes!

[@paulmiller591]

Wow this is a game changer for freight

[@petemonster1]

Robert, your latest trip to Aussie has not disappointed! Thanks for revealing the excellent work Janus Trucks are doing right here in Oz! I hope that some of the big transport companies may see merit in their solution and adopt it. Thanks also for the EV ride on deck mower piece--great and I hope more of this being adopted by government bodies will help improve the tech and drive costs closer to that of the ICE versions.

[@Tom-dt4ic]

125k to make the conversion seems like a lot. But how much is it to rebuild a diesel engine? Or course the swap outs would happen when the diesel was ready for rebuild. And there'd never again be a need for a rebuild and the subsequent time loss. Gear box rebuild I imagine would take a fraction of the time and only be necessary with less than half of the diesel rebuild. Not to mention the huge fuel savings which would probably pay for the swap out by itself over the life of the truck. So great job! There's hope for us after all.

[@ab3000x]

I was having a bit of back-and-forth with an EV hater on FB the other day. He said all EVs were "vanity toys." He liked big American monster trucks - these things would eat them Tonka trucks for lunch! I love what Janus Trucks is doing. The Power, the speed of swapping, the fact that they can retrofit into old trucks... it's all brilliant! This needs to be implemented worldwide.

[@jaseastroboy9240]

It is a very neat solution. Electric truck arrives, forklift driver spends some time offloading the goods, then the same forklift driver swaps over the battery. The truck is back on the road. No robots needed.

[@rods6405]

But you have to pay for 2 batteries $$$ and a storage and charging facility for one of the batteries $$$ and your battery wont be compatible with any other battery or charging facility from any other manufacture so we will have to have duplication of many items with no compatibly therefore the support cost of the electronics / batteries will be high. VS Pull into a service station for 10 15 minutes!

[@jaseastroboy9240]

@@rods6405 Yep, 10-15 minutes and $1000 to $3000 dollars. I think transport companies would be more concerned with the fuel costs rather than driver convenience. The suitability of the electric truck will vary greatly depending on how it is used. If your use case is long distance transporting then this system wouldn't likely be suitable. But if you had multiple trucks doing deliveries within the same city and returning to a common location after each delivery then this system may be very suitable. Something like a cement delivery business. Truck gets a freshly charged battery, goes on a local trip to deliver the cement then returns. Battery is swapped, fresh cement is loaded and the process repeats. Depending on trip time and battery charge rate, one spare battery could be enough for multiple trucks.

[@andreasbucher7717]

Only one ton heavier than a disel.... That's phenomenal. These guys are amazing.

[@alanmay7929]

You forget to mention significantly way lessssss range than the diesel too!

[@andreasbucher7717]

@@alanmay7929 True, but that's still MANY customers.

[@roidroid]

@@alanmay7929 How many kms does a prime-mover drive in a typical day?

[@--Nath--]

​@Alan May with mandated stops every few hours, I don't see that as being a big issue when you can just forklift on a new one.

[@alanmay7929]

@@--Nath-- it depends on which roads you take and those swapping stations will definitely not be as practical or everywhere like charging stations or gas stations.

[@holdenbrougham1056]

Love what Janus has created here , a minutes time to re fuel the truck ,,wow shit that's a real good start , the re generative brakes and massive plus 540kw re gain in one brake application,, yeap that's good , no service needed on engine, extended life on all driveline components, not quite long haul ready but you guys at Janus have done a better build than both Volvo and Tesla ?, new to trucks so they've got much more to learn than Volvo or scania and Janus concept beats all off them, even I'd consider doing this conversion with a truck just as soon as diesel eng8ne ask for money to be spent on it I'd be happy at 500kg increase weight to loose the diesel engine parts and cut running cost by almost 2/3 that's a point people need to weigh up with costing of conversion cost an batts, and diesel fuel cost will just keep rising , same as electricity cost rising ,, so your own solar grid and storage is absolute must have to make this set up most efficient it can be, great work Janus, the innervator in electric trucks

[@MrAdopado]

This makes so much sense. Battery swapping for general car use is highly questionable but for HGV systems like this it is a clear winner. Repurposing existing trucks too! Excellent information clearly expressed without hype and spin. Superb episode.

[@teklife]

in trucking/logistics, the MOST important factor, is price, and reliability, electric destroys diesels on both, so, i think it will just be a short matter of time before we see a huge transition in tucking to electric. the limiting factor is battery constraints.

[@sagewhite5776]

This is amazing. They're really doing it all right. Showing what is actually possible!

[@alanmay7929]

Who said it wasn’t possible!?

[@trashmail8]

So many good points are mentioned in this video. For the company: lower maintenance, running costs, etc. For the local environment: noise pollution For the country: energy independence I mean.. win, win, win.. And also how easy and comfortable EV are to drive. We need all-electric solutions ASAP. Either in the form of new products (e.g. Tesla Semi) or solutions like this one by Janus Trucks.

[@jimgraham6722]

Spot on, energy sovereignty.

[@jamessizemore7103]

You guys need to take a trip over to Canada and talk to the Edison motors guys

[@kirkellis4329]

Great episode and good to see a company doing these conversions. $125K USD for the conversion and another $125K for the batteries probably. I can see that if you are constantly swapping batteries, it wouldn't make sense to own it unless you are operating your own fleet and rotating your own batteries. Unless there is a swapping infrastructure, though, this would be limited to fleets operating locally or moving between their own hubs within range. Independent operators wouldn't be able to do long haul runs without a swap infrastructure.

[@MadDog160145]

Doh! You don't say!

[@AndrewSmith-ub6xs]

they address they charging infrastructure problem in the 'batteries as a service' part of the vid.. leasing/renting of batteries not in use. There's a 'hub' of sorts currently being built in Taree, NSW that I believe will be operated by Pearson's Transport. They'll buy the batteries outright and pay the upfront investment to the infrastructure that they use, and the electricity to charge and 'house' them, and then 'rent' out the ones not currently being utilised to other companies who perhaps don't have the money to invest in the batteries, but still want to convert some trucks. Janus still gets paid, Pearsons get to recur their upfront investment quicker, and other companies get to convert their own trucks for cheaper overall.

[@donaldduck5731]

These guys are so spot on with what they’re doing, reusing existing trucks, decoupling the batteries and battery technology from the trucks and so on. This is exactly what’s needed in the passenger car industry, those affordable EV’s could exist right now, as reconditioned popular cars like VW golfs, BMW 3 series etc with new electric motors and quick change batteries and I expect with the amazing new battery technologies coming to fruition in the next few years this is exactly what will happen.

[@Simon-dm8zv]

Not really. Trucks last much longer than passenger cars (and cost a LOT more) which makes it more worth it to retrofit. Making new EVs is far more efficient than retrofitting.

[@donaldduck5731]

@@Simon-dm8zv beg to differ, it’s £50k for an EV and battery prices and densities are dropped by the day, soon it will be possible to simply lift the engine and drop in an entire battery drive module.

[@Simon-dm8zv]

@@donaldduck5731 EVs start at about 25k. Retrofitting is not easy nor cheap. Batteries often need to be part of the subframe of the car to be safe enough. For that money you cannot retrofit an existing vehicle and create an EV with comparable performance as a new EV.

[@pioneer7777777]

This is absolutely awesome! Love the idea of solar on the warehouse roof and some extra batteries being charged, then swapped on arrival. Amazing to imagine it all put together!

[@juliogonzo2718]

You would need a very big roof

[@meddlesomepriest]

Axle/driveshaft made by Dana. My family used to work for Dana, which had plants in Pennsylvania (USA) back in the day. Very cool to see this Austrailian firm rebuilding trucks to electric that were probably made here in the northeastern USA. Our work lives on.

[@pauldavis6390]

With the basic shape of trucks, there is scope for solar panels on top of the trailers to act as a range booster, to top up the range as you drive along. Given the size of the trailers a lot of panels could be added for daytime running.

[@kirkellis4329]

There's room for about 4kw of PV on the roof, or about 20-25kwh per day collected. That would add 10-15km of range per day. Probably not worth the cost of installing PV on the truck when a 2% larger battery pack would add that much range and the PV panels could be kept safe on the ground at the swap station.

[@miroslawkaras7710]

The cargo container roof could be up to 47 sq. meter. Assuming that the solar cells are 20% efficient that around 9.4KW/h with effective time of 4 hours, that around 37kw. Semi truck require around 2.5kw per KM, so 37KW/2.5KW/h=14.8 km

[@timscott3027]

It wouldn't be worth it on a truck, I would like solar on a car though as most the time it's sat not doing anything.

[@ianrobertson1952]

@@miroslawkaras7710 That's about 5400 km per year

[@silverbackag9790]

Won’t add shit and trailers are swapped all the time between trucking lines and intermodal (trains) - at least in the US. And some trailers are just shipping containers set on frames and wheels. I doubt AUS is much different.

[@sktaylor99]

What an awesome company. They really are showing the way forward for commercial vehicles

[@t1n4444]

True, but, other countries are equally innovative too. Unfortunately although the swappable battery appears a good idea at first glance you would need to see if the concept worked with many thousands trucks using these replaceable batteries. Too soon to know if the idea works beyond a few trucks. Other countries are investing in hydrogen burning engines and hydrogen fuel cell powered trucks and public transport.

[@Aussietrucker]

I drive huge trucks long distances in Australia the advancements in this technology is amazing, a couple of questions will these be permitted in tunnels or restricted to dangerous goods routes as the batteries are huge and pose a significant risk in the event of a collision or fire. Currently when I transport even a small amount of lithium batteries as cargo I have to placard the truck an am restricted to approved DG routes.

[@TomTom-cm2oq]

Fantastic question! Would love to see this addressed…

[@economistfromhell4877]

Good question - I suspect they use Lithuim Phosphate which doesn't burn, but? Also I suspect that the regulators haven't caught up with this yet.

[@arthurking2614]

November 2023, Melbourne answered the question a second unit lost.

[@whatyourlifestyle998]

Couriers trucks in a city environment would be perfect

[@HackxBox]

Absolutely bloody brilliant! Go ausies, lead the way to a more sustainable future!

[@ms753]

What a horrible accent though

[@samrichards8251]

No brainer. Only need to have huge solar system on some of these massive warehouses charging the battery packs and the cost savings for the transport industry would be enormous.

[@SequoiaElisabeth]

This is great. More power to them!

[@TomTom-cm2oq]

I see what you did there. Funny!

[@chopperking007]

I've said for years all electric vehicles should have quick swap batteries as well as recharge

[@S_R231]

Love the fact the Australians are in long sleeves and pants while Bob is in British Summer drag

[@ForeverNeverwhere1]

Skin cancer from overexposure to the sun isn't something most Brits get a chance to worry about.

[@TroggyPB]

Nah. It’s Tanning beds that do the real damage here in UK and mostly to young people.

[@nobodycares85]

What I want to see is the Trailer having its own battery and assist motor complete with regen.

[@teinspringz]

That would extend the range even more, no doubt, will have to work out if the added weight to the payload would affect overall efficiency and costs, but easy to add or remove the battery from the payload for sure.

[@TassieEV]

Learned a lot about big rigs from this video. Amazing about the average age and how the weight is not alot different but with future tech that could equal out or even get less. Love to know what the drivers think of this who have driven them. No engine brake noise like I hear all the time from the trucks, the regen is amazing. The TCO must be fantastic over the rest of the life of the truck. Battery swapping for these is a perfect solution, can see swap stations across the Nullabor and huge solar farms nearby to charge them up with and use as grid level backup even for the communities they are in/near. Have to see if they are going to be at FCL on the weekend.

[@juliogonzo2718]

I was kinda wondering how the regenerative braking would compare to engine braking power wise. I would think it could match it and possible be less likely to lock the wheels on slippery surface too

[@Healthliving1967]

Ok for local distribution but no good for long haul transportation. Its a start but long ways to go yet before they can do long haul capabilities.

[@davidhaywood8029]

A very interesting piece indeed! I keep thinking Fully Charged has reached peak Australian, and then they turn it up by another platypus or two...

[@MasterChief37]

I doubt they will be able to do sub 1 minute battery swaps, NIO have been using battery swap for years and have gotten it down to 4 minutes in the latest stations. They’ve spent hundreds of millions developing this system. I can’t see a small company in australia with a limited budget doing it faster with batteries that weigh significantly more.

[@chargeheadsuk]

I just watched a video about JCB using Hydrogen engines. I went in with an open mind. Not convinced at all, and this vid pops up to put another nail in the Hydrogen for EV's coffin ⚰️⚡🤷‍♂️

[@peteinwisconsin2496]

I too think that the era for the hydrogen EV is already past. Battery EVs are too good to bother with hydrogen. And as the speaker said, there will be times (wind at night?, solar at the weekend) where one can charge these trucks for free. Not so with hydrogen.

[@hendrikj8448]

Just one of those battery packs almost covers my annual electricity use

[@Marc83Aus]

These blokes have a good thing going. I really wish them the best.

[@davidwicks7898]

So many cool things happening in Australia. Keep em comming!

[@NathanLatton]

Game changer!

[@matthewdilks2677]

I really hope someone called Hugh works here

[@rlaxton666]

Don't forget his colleague Mr Kerr. I think his first name is Wayne?

[@TomTom-cm2oq]

They’d better keep a whole bunch of Js on hand in case one falls off the sign out front. Or worse, someone steals it like we had here in Czechia with Hornbach. I say they steal their own J and it gets into the news. That’s some awesome free publicity. Even bad press is good press, and everyone loves a funny joke.

[@BobQuigley]

Brilliant! May Janus survive the mayhem in Australia

[@peteinwisconsin2496]

300km under difficult conditions; 400-600km under the best of conditions. This is fantastic stuff. I would like to see them use an electric forklift to remove and install the batteries instead of their propane lifts.

[@TomTom-cm2oq]

And then another electric forklift to swap the batteries in the electric forklift that is swapping batteries!

[@drewcipher896]

Love to see stuff like this. We dont need cyber trucks we need innovative, SUSTAINABLE, solutions like this for short duration trucks and expanded rail for long distance freight. No reason to be building new vehicles when the old ones can be reused.

[@Cunningcrow]

Fantastic video...Janus is doing some groundbreaking stuff here, very advanced thinking especially in a country and industry known for sticking to traditionalist thinking. I really appreciated the knowledge and foresight of the two gents interviewed and how clearly they share the enormous benefits to this set-up. I challenge any truckie or truck company to watch this and not be swayed by the countless benefits of moving away from diesel.

[@joa8593]

Or... We could do like China and have electrified freight rail and use electric trucks only for the last couple miles. That way we can have some batteries leftover for cars or something.

[@francesconicoletti2547]

We can’t even do rail properly. China has the population density to justify rail everywhere, Australia doesn’t. Certainly trucks from mine sites and large industrial sites are not going to be replaced with electrified railways. Consider delivering wind turbines to a wind farm, are you really going to constrain the wind farm , those turbines need specialised vehicles, not something that sits on a train. Electric trucks there would be better the diesel. It’s not either or it’s both.

[@TomTom-cm2oq]

Nah, you can’t do that because you would upset both Australians that would be opposed to it, and as we all know, *everyone* has to be happy.

[@joa8593]

@@francesconicoletti2547 Long term it's both, but with batteries (and government money) constrained you have to think "do I want a few battery swap semis, or do I want electric rail and a hundred normal electric vehicles?" The answer is obviously the latter. Battery swap where most of the batteries sit around waiting to be used makes no sense unless you're swimming in batteries. Actually, personal cars make little sense either because they're parked most of the time, short-haul trucks with very high use and fleet vehicles is where we should focus batteries first and aim for electrified rail everywhere else.

[@jimmytwizzle7836]

Well it’s not really faster to charge the truck, it’s just faster to swap the batteries. But let’s not forget about the materials and energy to make and recycle the b

[@ericvet8b]

What a great idea!! We need to see more of these in Europe and USA too!! Reusing current trucks much better for environment!! Would have been good to mention how much those engines rebuilds would cost in comparison. 👍

[@89five3five]

This makes perfect sense. Reusing existing trucks means they don’t end up in a landfill. For heavy vehicles like this that do the same routes everyday, this is a great solution.

[@Callofdootie]

The man is forklift certified, he has my vote.