Australian electric truck technology company Janus Electric has expanded its North American order book after securing approximately $45 million in conditional orders from four California fleet operators.
Golden State Express, WEHACO, Tradelink Transport and King Fio Trucking have ordered a combined 67 diesel-to-electric truck conversions, 77 swappable battery packs and four Janus Charge & Change Stations.
The orders follow an approximately $10 million commitment from existing customer Ability Tri-Modal, announced earlier in July. Together, the agreements have lifted Janus Electric’s United States order book from 20 to 87 conversions and increased its American customer base from one fleet operator to five.
Including a further 25 conversions planned for Canada, Janus Electric’s contracted North American order book now stands at 112 trucks.
Port operators look to convert existing trucks
The four new customers operate in California’s freight and port drayage market, primarily serving the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
This is a demanding operating environment where vehicle availability, payload, turnaround times and access to charging infrastructure can determine whether electric trucks are commercially practical.
Janus Electric’s model differs from the conventional approach of replacing an entire diesel truck with a new battery-electric vehicle. Its system converts an existing diesel truck to electric power and uses exchangeable batteries that can be swapped at a Janus Charge & Change Station.
The company argues this approach can help fleets electrify existing assets while limiting the time vehicles spend stationary for charging.
Ben Hutt, CEO and Managing Director at Janus Electric, said the orders provided further validation of the conversion and battery-swap model.
“Securing signed orders from four additional California fleet operators immediately after Ability Tri-Modal expanded its commitment demonstrates the strong commercial momentum building in our US business,” Hutt said.
“These orders significantly broaden our US customer base and the decision of these operators to adopt the Janus conversion and battery-swap platform provides important customer validation.”
Shared infrastructure supports affiliated fleets
Golden State Express and WEHACO have each ordered 20 conversions and 22 swappable battery packs. The affiliated businesses will share one Janus Charge & Change Station at a common operating location.
Each order has a gross contract value of approximately $14 million.
The companies are led by Fred Johring, who is President of both businesses and a founding member of the Harbor Trucking Association. The association’s members collectively operate more than 33,500 trucks.
Golden State Express operates under the Golden State Logistics brand and has been operating since 1996. The fleet has previously adopted electric trucks and invested in charging and lower-emission transport technologies.
Johring said shared battery infrastructure was an important part of the decision.
“The Janus battery-swap platform gives us the ability to electrify our existing fleet without sacrificing the productivity our port operations demand,” he said.
“The grant support available in California makes the economics work, and being able to run two affiliated fleets off shared infrastructure is exactly the kind of solution we have been looking for.”
Experienced electric fleet operators join the program
Tradelink Transport has ordered 21 conversion kits, 25 battery packs and two Charge & Change Stations, with a gross contract value of approximately $14 million.
The business operates around 48 trucks, including 15 Volvo VNR Electric Class 8 trucks, and already has experience with electric vehicle charging infrastructure and California incentive programs.
Rigoberto Cea, President at Tradelink Transport, said the conversion platform would complement the company’s existing electric fleet.
“With one-third of our fleet already operating as battery-electric, the Janus conversion platform helps us build on that momentum by providing another scalable solution to accelerate our journey toward a 100% zero emissions fleet,” Cea said.
King Fio Trucking has ordered six conversions, eight battery packs and one Charge & Change Station, valued at approximately $3 million.
The Long Beach-based drayage operator has more than 30 trucks and already operates battery-electric vehicles.
“The Janus conversion and battery-swap platform gives us another way to electrify existing trucks while keeping them productive for port operations,” King Fio Trucking CEO Jennie Abarca said.
Incentives remain central to the business case
While the order book represents significant growth for Janus Electric, the agreements remain subject to conditions, including the approval of California government incentives and, in some cases, financing arrangements.
For eligible fleets, combined support from California’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project and Port of Los Angeles programs could provide incentives of approximately US$166,000 per truck.
Janus Electric said the combined support could reduce the net cost of a qualifying conversion to close to zero. Other programs may contribute towards battery packs and charging or battery-swap infrastructure.
Golden State Express and WEHACO are also assessing eligibility for a Port of Los Angeles zero-emission truck incentive program that can provide up to US$300,000 per qualifying truck.
The availability of incentives is therefore a major factor in the current orders. It also means the headline contract values should not be treated as guaranteed revenue until the relevant funding, financing and delivery conditions are satisfied.
Delivery challenge follows order growth
The conversions will be supported by Electric Vehicle Choice, Janus Electric’s authorised California dealer and conversion partner.
Janus Electric expects initial deliveries to begin during the fourth quarter of 2026 and continue through 2027, subject to incentive approvals and final production scheduling.
The larger order book should provide improved visibility for battery, conversion module and Charge & Change Station requirements. Janus Electric is working with suppliers, including battery partner Electrovaya, to prepare for the North American rollout.
For fleet operators, the significance of the announcement extends beyond the number of orders. Several of the new customers already operate battery-electric trucks and understand the infrastructure and operational requirements involved.
Their interest suggests conversions and battery swapping could form part of a broader electric truck strategy, particularly in high-utilisation port operations where conventional charging downtime can be difficult to accommodate.
However, the next test for Janus Electric will be moving from signed conditional orders to completed conversions operating reliably in commercial fleets. Production capacity, access to funding, incentive approvals and the performance of the shared battery infrastructure will determine whether the early US momentum develops into a scalable fleet solution.
