Zurich partnership to lift commercial EV uptake

Zurich has partnered with e-mobility technology company SEA Electric in Australia to encourage the transition of fleets to electric vehicles (EVs).

Founded in Melbourne in 2012, SEA Electric is now headquartered in California and offers proprietary all-electric SEA-Drive power-system technology that is adaptable to urban delivery and commercial transport fleets.

The collaboration, with Zurich Resilience Solutions (ZRS), will see the insurer’s risk engineering team of around 800 work with SEA Electric customers as they switch to more sustainable technology.

Zurich’s risk assessment service will help customers understand short- and long-term considerations, ensuring they are prepared to scale. SEA Electric will offer Zurich’s customers experience days and webinars and the risk engineering department will receive training.

“Zurich and SEA Electric share a common commitment to improving the sustainability and resilience of our customers and community,” Head of ZRS Australia & New Zealand Mervyn Rea said. “This agreement presents an important opportunity to further this.”

ZRS provides tools beyond insurance to help companies manage risks and become more resilient, across climate change, supply chains and cyber security.

SEA Electric Sales Director Joe Di Santo says the agreement will complement, enhance and complete the purchase of SEA Electric vehicles, and the Zurich brand is highly respected within the industry.

“To be working in combination with them moving forward has significant positive outcomes for both businesses,” he said. “Transitioning to electric is a big commitment.

“We take seriously our responsibility of connecting our customers with reputable and proven organisations such as Zurich as we lead the country in the shift to sustainable transport.”

SEA Electric specialises in the assembly and electrification of commercial vehicles worldwide. It supplies and licenses patented technology, dealing directly with vehicle users and working alongside car manufacturers, and says it introduced the world’s first comprehensive range of all-electric commercial vehicles in 2021.

Earlier this month, it entered a five-year agreement to deliver fully electrified models to Mack Truck dealers across North America. Mack MD6 and MD7 models will be equipped with SEA-Drive power, a system it says leads the market in performance, efficiency and overall cost. It fully electrifies ancillary features, with charging completed via an integrated onboard system.

In testing, the SEA-Drive equipped Mack MD6 achieved equivalent to more than 500,000 miles on challenging tracks. CEO and Founder Tony Fairweather said the agreement was “the culmination of over a decade of leading research and development that has proven the SEA-Drive power-system around the world”.

SEA Electric says it has deployed over 200 battery-electric vehicles and predicts that in the next five year, its zero-emissions commercial vehicles will have eliminated over 1.4 billion kg of CO2 emissions from transport.

The local Australian assembly facility has recently doubled in size for high volume commercial production of electric trucks and vans.