Foton Mobility Distribution (FMD) and Ampol have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore charging solutions for electric truck fleets, with a focus on helping operators charge at depots, commercial hubs and public charging sites.
The collaboration will investigate charging options across Ampol’s AmpCharge public network and private facilities for FMD’s fleet, logistics and business customers across Australia.
For fleet operators, the opportunity is to support electric truck operations beyond routes that rely entirely on returning to a depot to recharge.
Building confidence beyond the depot
FMD General Manager Light Duty Trucks, Geoff Carroll, said limited access to suitable public charging sites remained a constraint for electric truck operators.
“Whilst most EV trucks are currently charging at their respective depots, due to limited availability of truck-ready public charging sites, the ability to venture further afield with confidence using Ampol’s public network would materially enhance the ownership experience,” Carroll said.
Compatibility testing is being undertaken between FMD’s trucks and Ampol’s AmpCharge charging solutions.
Carroll said the testing demonstrated the collaboration required to overcome barriers to adoption.
The agreement does not announce a completed network of truck-ready charging locations. It establishes a framework to explore how vehicle and infrastructure providers can work together to meet fleet requirements.
Charging infrastructure must suit the operation
Ampol Head of Energy Business Solutions, Rebecca Wilson, said commercial vehicle charging required an approach that considered both infrastructure and vehicles.
“By taking a collaborative, total-solution approach to infrastructure and vehicles, alongside Foton Mobility Distribution, we’re hoping to demonstrate how businesses can work together to make going electric simpler and more rewarding for heavy transport customers,” Wilson said.
She identified higher energy demands, longer dwell times and route planning across long-haul corridors as challenges that distinguish heavy transport from passenger EV charging.
Working with FMD would help Ampol tailor its infrastructure and depot charging solutions to fleet operators’ operational needs, she said.
Supporting the next stage of fleet electrification
FMD says its electric commercial vehicles have accumulated more than five million kilometres of on-road experience in Australia. It also reports that its T5 light-duty electric truck has been Australia’s leading EV truck for three consecutive years, with an expanded vehicle range planned.
For fleet managers considering electric trucks, the collaboration highlights the need to assess charging alongside vehicle selection. Depot charging arrangements, access to suitable public sites and compatibility with charging equipment all influence which duties an electric truck can undertake.
If the collaboration delivers practical charging options beyond the depot, it could give operators greater flexibility when allocating electric trucks to routes and responding to changing workloads.
