Centurion Transport has reached full operational status on Australia’s first fully off-grid battery electric truck fleet, commissioning the second of two charging hubs and adding the final 10 Mercedes-Benz eActros 300 trucks to bring the total fleet to 30 vehicles. The milestone completes a $36 million project that sets a global benchmark for renewable-powered freight operations.
Completion Milestone
The second charging hub was commissioned in July 2025 at Centurion’s Perth Airport headquarters, complementing the first hub that began operations in February. Together, the two hubs house 15 dual-port chargers capable of overnight charging and mid-shift top-ups, ensuring continuous fleet availability across Perth metropolitan delivery routes.
The full 30-truck fleet of Mercedes-Benz eActros 300 vehicles is now operational, all powered by a 4.4MW rooftop solar installation and 10.3MWh of battery storage — an on-site energy system generating enough power for approximately 900 Australian homes. Two Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) backup generators provide energy security during extended low-sunlight periods, ensuring trucks can maintain operations up to 100 kilometres from base under any conditions.
Project Partners
The project was delivered through a consortium led by Centurion, with Daimler Truck supplying the eActros fleet, bp Australia managing the energy infrastructure, Switch Batteries providing the storage systems, and Cape Dunstans handling the solar installation. ARENA’s $15.8 million contribution under the Future Fuels Program ensured the project was delivered on time and on budget.
The off-grid architecture is the project’s defining innovation. Unlike other logistics electrification programs that draw charging power from the electricity grid — and therefore inherit its emissions profile and pricing volatility — Centurion’s fleet operates on a closed renewable energy loop. Solar generation, battery storage, and vehicle charging all occur on-site, creating a genuinely zero-emission freight operation from source to wheel.
Operational Impact
With the full fleet now running across Perth’s metropolitan delivery routes, Centurion is generating real-world performance data on electric truck operations at commercial scale. The fleet’s operational patterns — daily range, battery degradation rates, charging profiles, and maintenance requirements — will provide the kind of evidence that other Australian logistics operators need to evaluate their own electrification timelines.
For Centurion, the project represents both an environmental commitment and a commercial strategy. By eliminating diesel fuel costs for 30 metropolitan trucks and generating its own charging power, the company is building a cost structure that becomes more competitive as diesel prices rise and solar efficiency improves over time.
The successful completion also positions Centurion as a potential model for other industries considering off-grid electrification. The combination of solar generation, battery storage, and electric vehicles operating as an integrated system has applications well beyond metropolitan freight — including the remote mining and resource operations that remain Centurion’s core market.
Sources: The Driven, electrive, Fleet EV News, Daimler Trucks Perth