Firth’s EV journey gathers pace  

With sustainability top of mind, and in pursuit of viable alternatives to ‘fuel’ what has been a diesel dominated industry, Firth’s industry-leading EV journey is gathering momentum with a range of electric vehicles - some New Zealand firsts - now being trialled. 

“Our first electric truck and bowl arrived in the country from China in June,” says Francis Leslie, Head of Northern Certified & Asset Management for Firth. “The truck has been at our ‘Workshop’ (Firth’s dedicated facility for the fit out and retrofitting of trucks in our fleet) in Hamilton where it has been sign written and fitted with health and safety features that all our trucks are fitted with to ensure our drivers, customers and the public are safe. I was excited to witness the first delivery of concrete by our new EV concrete truck – the first of its kind in Australasia.” 

“It’s not as easy as you would think to switch a fleet away from all diesel to electric powered,” says Francis. “It’s a bit of a process. Our trucks carry tremendous loads, often in tricky conditions. Sometimes the technology isn’t quite there yet so we have to be sure that any new vehicle can cope with the demands of the job and is safe to handle.” 

The new EV will be watched carefully over the next few months on various road surfaces and monitored to see how it handles. Watch this space!!!  

In the meantime … another New Zealand first …. introducing the FIRTH-E-MIXER 

We have been busy … and are very pleased to announce the launch of the FIRTH-E-MIXER.

“Over the last three months we have been trialing our new E-MIXER,” says Francis. “As we watch and work on a full EV version, we can now also tell you about the retrofitting of a diesel truck with a new battery powered concrete bowl – the FIRTH-E-MIXER. The feedback from the first few months of use has been excellent. Again, because this is new technology, we are carefully monitoring performance and consumption, but we estimate that the FIRTH-E-MIXER is saving 20 – 25% of diesel!”  

The plan, Francis says, is to continue with the ongoing development of a safe and well performing EV, and over approximately five years, also retrofit the Firth fleet consisting of approximately 450 trucks with the FIRTH-E-MIXER. “We estimate this initiative alone will save approximately two million litres of diesel per annum or 5,400 tonnes of CO2* per year. We are very excited about the prospects of our new FIRTH-E-MIXER.” 

* 1L of diesel produces around 2.7kgs of CO2! 

… and that’s not all …  

Concrete trucks are not the only vehicles consuming diesel in Firth’s 62 Certified and six Masonry plants nationwide with the team’s remit also including forklifts and loaders. 

“We have also welcomed our first new electric forklift to the family,” adds Francis. “The new forklift is in operation at our Narek Certified Plant in Auckland  and we are watching it’s performance and handling.”  

The journey for Firth to transition to EV’s is underway however technology hasn’t quite caught up with the desire. 

“We also have around 80 loaders in use around the country and have been trying to source a medium sized electric loader to suit our needs,” says Francis. “However, there isn’t one on the market yet. We are hoping to have an option later in the year for arrival in New Zealand in 2024.” 

Watch this space for updates on Firth’s electric journey …