Forestry company parks electric truck despite spike in diesel prices

An electric truck trial in South Australia’s south-east has shown the vehicles are fit for some use in the forestry industry, but are not financially viable — even with diesel prices soaring. Fennell Forestry launched a trial using a truck converted from using diesel to electric power in early 2023, using the vehicle to transport logs from forests to sawmills.

Managing director Wendy Fennell said the vehicle was able to perform the job with enough torque and capacity to tow the large loads.

However, she said there we some issues, particularly with the cost proposition. “The reason why the truck is no longer in operation is it wasn’t financially viable to continue it when you compare it with a like-for-like diesel truck,” Ms Fennell said.