Volvo’s FM Electric connects a 20-tonne eco home to its destination 180km away but, in addition to volts and amps, is this battery powered truck charged with an impossible task?
Some people think the moon landing was a hoax, which has always made me laugh but, to be honest, I can almost understand why.
I’ve spent enough time on TV sets and filming locations to know that shooting a convincing fake is no easy task, but staging the historic event in a terrestrial film set seems a bit easier than firing a 111-metre human-tipped missile at moving target 384,000km away.
That said, I still believe it happened. Not principally because of the mountain of foil-hatter-refuting evidence, but because of that single epochal line in John F. Kennedy’s Rice University address: “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
The easy way might get the job done but it rarely achieves lasting progress or a legacy to be proud of, and after spending a day on the road with one of Australia’s first heavy pure electric trucks I have proof of that.
The cabin in the woods
High above the Yarra Valley in the tranquil Toolangi State Forest, brothers Daniel and Jamie Popjoy created a mill that builds things and promptly named it MillBuilt.
If we can pull this off, it’ll be the first time an eco-home has been delivered using zero-emissions transport anywhere in the world.
To be more specific, their 15-year-old business constructs homes that might be small in size but pack a huge punch in sustainability and comfort.
Jamie left school at 15 and started honing his trade as a skilled carpenter in traditional timber post-and-beam houses but it wasn’t long before he started questioning the ethics of the 70-squares palaces he was crafting.
“I thought, this is ridiculous,” he tells me.
So, the brothers decided to do “something better” and their philanthropy and generosity helping families rebuild after devastating bushfires earned them a reputation and success. Today, they offer a range of ready-built homes that are as environmentally sensitive as they are aesthetically pleasing.
Jamie shows me two such buildings under construction in the workshop. It’s a hive of activity with various tradespeople poring over the timber-framed, steel-base homes but it’s not chaos. On the contrary, the team is so familiar with the signature range of modular buildings, and the process so finely tuned, that a ‘standard’ three-bed, two-bathroom home can be completed in as little as 18 working days.
The humble but gorgeous houses are impressive but we’re here to witness something special, even by MillBuilt standards.
Every home that emerges from MillBuilt’s Toolangi facility is completed to at least seven-star energy rating, with the latest project certified as nine-star – its first completely ‘passive’ home. Images: Alastair Brook
While every home that emerges from the Toolangi facility is completed to at least seven-star energy rating, the latest project has been certified as nine-star – the company’s first completely ‘passive’ home.
Jamie explains that, among the many assets a home must have to be certified, the ‘blower door’ test is perhaps the most telling … and difficult. In essence, special apparatus forces air at the front door while instruments measure the volume of air that is allowed to pass through the house, thereby indicating how well the house has been sealed and insulated. Jamie reveals that a regular house might score 10 ‘air changes’ meaning all the air in the house has been displaced 10 times during the test, MillBuilt houses manage a respectable 4.5 but this latest home scored just 0.4.
With such a low number to its name, along with clever heat recovery ventilation system and airlock style front porch, this two-bedroom abode will require minimal heating in winter and cooling in the summer. In fact, Jamie says such is the efficiency of their latest creation that the small reverse-cycle system included may never get switched on at all.
Inside, the small space has a Tardis-like quality minus the blinking control console and time rotor. It’s light and open. Its neutral colours and recycled timbers combine with modern lime wash paint to help maintain pleasant humidity levels while allowing the walls to breathe.
There’s a notable absence of building smells with no nasty varnishes or glues used in construction, while the house is impeccably clean and Jamie has no hesitation in asking me to remove my shoes.
It’s clear this small space is special but the MillBuilt contribution is only the first in a trio of extraordinary elements that turn this house into a home.
While the calculations might take into account gradient and load, the MillBuilt home presents a vast frontal area and the aerodynamics of a piano which impacts exponentially as the roads widen and speeds increase.
Volts for the final vault
Most people who have moved house understand that it’s one of the most stressful experiences this side of the SAS special forces selection process. But when you’re actually moving a house, there are a whole extra set of challenges to consider – exactly why the task of hauling a 20-ton prefabricated two-bed 180km was handed over to building relocation specialist CD Wilson & Son.
It doesn’t take long to see why these guys are experts in the field. Hydraulic rams at eight points around the house raise it up, while the purpose-built TRT tri-axle trailer stoops (also under hydraulic action) and marrying the pair is all done in just 20 minutes – not a single crane in sight.
But this is where an interesting tale about a cool new home turns into a story about a world-first, because if you flick through the Oxford English Dictionary to the word ‘hypocrisy’ you’ll simply find a picture of a nine-star eco home being towed on the back of a prime mover that’s chugging a litre of jungle juice every kilometre.
Instead, the task of hauling this special load to its final place is being awarded to a different kind of eco warrior – the Volvo FM Electric. If we can pull this off, it’ll be the first time an eco-home has been delivered using zero-emissions transport anywhere in the world.
It’s almost unsettling standing next to a heavy truck when it’s rolling under its own ‘steam’ but making no noise other than a quiet compressor purr and the odd pop from gravel under tyre. The CD Wilson team notes how much easier it is to communicate without the sound of a big diesel constantly humming, while the peak transmission torque figure of 2,400Nm prompts this writer to triple check his notes – but this rare beast’s ultimate test of mettle lies ahead.
As we roll out through the giant mountain ash, the enormous 540kWh battery has only dipped a few per cent from its full overnight charge and the long ride down into Yarra Glen turns the huge inertia of about 40 tons back into a full battery via regenerative braking.
The 180km trip to Cape Paterson was the first time an eco-home has been delivered using zero-emissions transport anywhere in the world. Images: Alastair Brook
Driver Baz later comments that the handover between re-gen and conventional braking was seamless and there was no loss of brake performance even with a full battery.
But it’s when the way ahead levels out that the true challenge becomes clear. The official range claim is 300km and Volvo has run the numbers through their various apps and calculators spitting out a big thumbs-up for the trip to Cape Paterson.
However, while the calculations might take into account gradient and load, the MillBuilt home presents a vast frontal area and the aerodynamics of a piano which impacts exponentially as the roads widen and speeds increase.
By Keysborough it’s clear this is mission impossible on a single ‘tank’ and we find ourselves doing something that hasn’t ever happened in 88 years of CD Wilson history – searching for an EV charger. Grantville is the next available en-route and as we roll into the sleepy bayside community, the FM’s battery has dropped to 13 per cent and an indicated range of 20km remaining.
After unhooking the trailer and hooking up the public charger CCS2 type connector, the charger is initially pumping out power at a respectable 50kW and our stopover is looking like time enough for a pie and a pee, but then someone nearby switches on a toaster and the power plummets into the 20s.
It’s at this point Ned turns up. Ned is a pharmacologist, bonafide environmentalist and the owner of the eco home currently stranded on a disconnected trailer 42km from where it should be right now. But instead of a disgruntled and frustrated reception, Ned is delighted.
By Keysborough it’s clear this is mission impossible on a single ‘tank’ and we find ourselves doing something that hasn’t ever happened in 88 years of CD Wilson history – searching for an EV charger.
“I was thrilled of the opportunity to have the house transported down by electric truck,” Ned tells me in an excited but considered tone.
“As we’ve all found today, it’s a learning experience, but I’m just thrilled that we can be part of the early adopter process.”
That desire to be a part of something pioneering and lasting is what drives Ned. When it eventually gets there, his house will serve as a holiday escape for the family but will one day evolve into the perfect retirement home.
The family’s ageing Nissan Leaf will ultimately become another storage battery for the home (after it serves its duty as a first car for Ned’s son), and treading lightly on the planet is something the whole family is passionate about.
“We’re trying to leave the world a little bit better than when we came into it,” he says.
He’s keen to pass on his extensive research and learnings about genuine sustainability rather than just the prevalent greenwashing today, and Ned explains that most people are surprised how easy it is to make a big difference, including residents in the broader Cape Patterson community.
While the official range is 300km, the calculations didn’t take into account the home’s vast frontal area which impacts exponentially as the roads widen and speeds increase – promoting the need to search for an EV charger 40km out from the final destination. Images: Alastair Brook
“If you go to the Cape Tavern and talk to them about being on the estate there’s a level of interest. People actually can see the practical benefits of what you’re trying to do and it normalises building things to last,” he says.
Indeed, the locals are more than just inspired by The Cape community, they’re often indebted. If there’s a power outage as this part of the world is often subjected to, The Cape’s surplus of power is capable of keeping the lights on for the entire town of about 1,000 houses. I hope the locals occasionally shout The Cape residents a drink.
While Ned’s family and everyone on the estate are going above and beyond when it comes to personal environmental responsibility, there is a lot that still can and needs to be done, he says.
“We’ve got the resource of the sun and the wind, and the resources to make batteries where we could be completely free of needing to consume fossil fuels. I think we are still a bit addicted to fossil fuels in this country.”
I almost entirely agree and sense that we could chat for the rest of the day about the project and broader sustainability science, but there’s one other reason Ned isn’t too bothered about spending an extra couple of hours to wait for his house. Constructed in the traditional way on-site, the home at The Cape would have taken no less than 12 months, compared with the eight-week lead time on his pre-fab. It’s clear that, compared with the 10 months longer he’d be waiting for his house, this stopover seems almost negligible and is easily offset in the grand scheme of things.
“It’s only one day in the months and months process that we’ve taken to have this house built for us. But I hope that it sets an example and shows actually how easy and convenient, and effective it can be to have heavy transport electrified,” he explains.
All homes must be energy rated 7.5 or higher and include solar electricity generation, 40 per cent of the households have an EV and more than 30 per cent have a storage battery.
The cape of good hope
It’s added a little over two hours to the planned travel time, but the Volvo has about 50 per cent charge back on board – enough for the final dash to the third unorthodox element in this adventure.
Despite the complications, the team remains chirpy, expertly navigating this gargantuan load with impressive efficiency. I’m amazed how so much information can be relayed from the pilot ute ahead back to the truck in so few words and when an obstacle presents itself the boys spring into action requiring no direction.
They just know what do to like there’s a hive mind connecting them – especially when some other Victorian road users seem to be bizarrely ignorant of what’s going on. Of course, the hardest part is the final pair of turns – right when everyone could do with a break.
If you’d arrived at these apparently normal suburban L-bends, you might not think there was anything exceptional about The Cape at all, but, says general manager Clint Hare, this community happens to be the first net-zero carbon housing project in the country and the impressive facts and figures just keep coming.
All homes must be energy rated 7.5 or higher and include solar electricity generation, 40 per cent of the households have an EV and more than 30 per cent have a storage battery.
In fact, this suburb produces and stores so much energy while not using very much, that it exports (sells) four times the amount of electricity it uses to the national grid. Even more incredibly, Hare explains that some of the other nine-star houses have no heating or cooling at all, relying only on incidental solar heating, cooling and insulation to regulate the internal climate. So, while they might look like humble and understated dwellings, some of these houses pay little or nothing for power or petrol.
Performance isn’t an issue foer the Volvo FM Electric with up to 490kW and 2,400Nm with a 12-speed automatic transmission connecting three electric motors to the road. Images: Alastair Brook
And there are more good reasons to call this place home. Half of the suburb is open space with front fences outlawed to further boost the open community feel. Getting around on foot or bike is easy with six kilometres of paths leading to parks, village green, amphitheater, sports precinct, cafe, community farm and the breathtaking Second Surf and F Break beaches.
“Environmental and social sustainability is a big draw card,” explains Hare, and a decent chunk of the residents are those who came for a holiday, didn’t want to leave, so they didn’t.
“End of holiday remorse is a motivator for a lot of buyers,” he says.
Hare also introduces me to the principle of ‘co-opertition’ by which teams of builders from different companies share ideas and techniques if it can either help in the construction of sustainable houses or produce a more efficient end product. It’s just one example of many that highlights how proud people are to be a part of The Cape and share the advantages of making a home here – perhaps something lacking in many of Australia’s sprawling suburbs today.
But if all of these facts and figures are making you want build an eco-haven in your own vision at The Cape then you’d better act quickly – at the time of writing there were just 26 blocks left with a majority of those on the most prestigious Weathertop Crest with uninterrupted views of the ocean. Yours for a very reasonable $1.4 million, although there are a couple of more humble $399,000 blocks remaining. It’s a lot of anyone’s cash but I can’t help but feel it’s a bit of a bargain after everything I’ve seen.
For the MillBuilt home’s final turn into the destination cul de sac, Jason takes the Volvo’s wheel and shows why he’s the boss with a precision jack knife achieving what appeared impossible, and from there just a few more expertly nailed turns are required before the house is offloaded with millimetre accuracy.
As the price of oil continues to skyrocket, an opportunity to take a little power back has never looked so good. Sometimes a moonshot is worth taking.
As Ned watches his new home settle into its final resting place, a unseasonable chilly wind blows up from the Bass Strait and we decide to bid our final farewells inside. Though the power is yet to be connected and the final touches completed, it’s almost eerily warm like jumping into a recently vacated bed, while the failing afternoon light manages to beam into every corner.
A hard charge
While Volvo’s FM Electric has a number of compelling applications both in Australia and around the world, it’s fair to say the future of most long-haul logistics is still very much diesel. So, what was the point of doing it the hard way? In short, because it might not be the hard way one day.
Before companies like MillBuilt made off-the-shelf eco homes an affordable reality, building efficient places to live was harder to justify economically. And until the first sod was turned at The Cape, living off-grid often brought isolation and practical sacrifice as part of the deal, but no one is living like a hermit there, while house and land packages start at $900,000 – less than Melbourne’s median price.
Minimising the environmental impact of a new home project with an electric truck was not quite as uncompromised, and we’d all have been on the couch with a sustainably brewed, organic frothy sooner if diesel had done the job. But it’s yet more proof that you have to start somewhere to succeed long term.As I type, there’s a small community in Victoria’s south looking out to sea warm and cozy not just in their humble and efficient houses, but in the knowledge that they’ll never again have to open a gas bill with a sense of dread or roll up at a fuel bowser wondering how the actions of leaders in far-away countries are about effect how much they get stung at the pump.
They will probably never again feel helpless or betrayed when their lives suddenly become harder overnight thanks to seemingly avoidable national or global developments, and decisions they may oppose but are powerless to control.
This project was all about taking more responsibility for personal environmental impact, but it turns out it has the added benefit of individual empowerment too, and as the price of oil continues to skyrocket, an opportunity to take a little power back has never looked so good. Sometimes a moonshot is worth taking.
Despite the complications, the team remains chirpy, expertly navigating this gargantuan load with impressive efficiency into the tight end destination at The Cape housing estate. Images: Alastair Brook
Tune in to Electric FM
Officially, the Volvo FM Electric has a 300km range when optioned with the largest 540kWh battery, although ours indicated nearer 200km on a full charge.
Performance isn’t an issue with up to 490kW and 2,400Nm with a 12-speed automatic transmission (the same I-Shift fitted to diesel versions) connecting three electric motors to the road.
Maximum gross combination weight is 50 tonnes with air suspension on all axles and as standard, and a 23-tonne max bogie load.
You mightn’t see pure electric trucks on Australia’s roads very often but there are a growing number to choose from including Hyundai, Foton, Fuso, Mercedes-Benz, Scania and JAC offering both medium and heavy models.
Volvo takes credit as the first manufacturer to introduce local options with the FL, FE and FM trio, later followed by the Mercedes-Benz eActros and eEconic. This particular FM was supplied courtesy of CMV Group.
