Electrification of medium and heavy-duty transport looks set to be the next big disruptor of Australia’s national vehicle fleet with Chinese commercial vehicle specialist JAC Auto among several brands to announce a new electric truck model at the 2023 Brisbane Truck Show.

JAC Auto debuted its N75 7.5-tonne electric truck while also announcing the appointment of its first dealer partners across four Australian states, ahead of what it described as “a comprehensive product roll-out across 2023 and 2024”.

The company is promising a range of battery-electric commercial trucks, as well as a lighter-duty dual-cab ute in both diesel and battery-electric versions.

A statement from JAC Auto’s Australian importer said the N55 electric truck was available for immediate sale and would lead the brand’s charge in Australia.

The battery-electric N55 can be driven with a regular driver’s licence, with the company describing it as being “perfectly suited to Australia’s burgeoning last-mile logistics network”.

JAC Auto said the medium rigid N55 had undergone two years of localised trials and would offer up to 220km of tailpipe-emissions-free electric range from its 96.8kWh lithium-ferrous phosphate (LFP) battery array.

The company said its LFP battery technology offered greater stability and superior recharging properties than more common lithium-ion batteries, with the modular array able to be recharged via a CCS2 plug in as little as two hours from a 50kW DC fast charger.

The N55 will be complemented by the battery-electric N75 7.5-tonne truck, which was unveiled at the show, and the N90 9.0-tonne truck, due later in 2023.

JAC Auto announced partnerships with the WestPoint Group in Brisbane as its Queensland distributor, the Westend Group in Sydney as its NSW distributor and trucking dealer group CMV in both South Australia and Victoria.

“The Australian automotive landscape is evolving, and JAC is poised to offer Australian consumers exciting, innovative and value-led electric and ICE vehicles,” said JAC Auto Managing Director Jason Pecotic.

“Many small businesses in our urban and suburban hubs traverse less than 100km on a typical workday.

“The N55’s range enables them to complete deliveries in almost complete silence and with zero (tailpipe) emissions, and it can be charged back at base quickly, easily and affordably – no more time wasted at service stations.”

The N55 boasts outputs of 130kW/1200Nm from its single electric motor and features regenerative braking that recharges the battery on the fly, which JAC claims lowers servicing costs by reducing brake component wear.

Available in 4.5-tonne and 5.5-tonne GVM variants, the JAC N55 can be fitted with a variety of body types, with features including a reversing camera, reversing sensors, an audible reversing warning, driver/passenger airbags and daytime running lights.

Likely to be more interest to mainstream motorists was JAC Auto’s confirmation that its Ford Ranger-sized T9 dual-cab ute will join the N55 truck in showrooms in the second half of 2023, followed by a battery-electric variant in the first half of 2024.

The T9 will join other Chinese utes currently making strong inroads into the Australian market based on their affordability, including the GWM Ute and LDV T60.

It was first announced last December with a targeted launch date of June 2023 for the diesel version, but this now looks likely to be delayed until later this year.

RACQ spoke to a representative of the company’s Australian importer who was reluctant to provide details of the T9, preferring instead to focus on the just-launched truck range.

However, reports last year claimed the T9 would be powered by a 2.0-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder producing 125kW/410Nm and mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Braked towing capacity was reported to be 3500kg, with the vehicle featuring a part-time four-wheel-drive system and rear differential lock.

Although new to Australia, JAC Auto is a well-established automotive manufacturer in its Chinese home market, producing a range of heavy, medium, light and mini trucks, multi-functional commercial vehicles, MPVs, SUVs, passenger cars, buses, and more.

The company claims to be China’s number one exporter of medium and high-end light trucks, with exports of more than 114,000 vehicles as at the end of 2022.

JAC also claims to have “demonstrated and promoted” more than 200,000 new energy vehicles in a range of sizes and configurations, and to have achieved “important breakthroughs in battery thermal management technology” with its battery liquid cooling technology.

JAC has established joint ventures with well-known enterprises including Volkswagen and Cummins Engine, owns an R&D centre in Italy, and has subsidiaries in Vietnam, along with international industrial bases in Mexico, Kazakhstan and elsewhere.

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