Sinotruk rolls out electric fleet to cut haulage costs

Nigerian Sinotrucks Limited has introduced Sitrak electric commercial trucks into the Nigerian market, targeting manufacturers, distributors and logistics operators seeking to reduce transportation costs amid rising energy expenses and pressure on business margins.

The move marked another attempt to expand alternative-energy vehicles in Nigeria’s commercial transport sector, where high fuel costs, inadequate infrastructure, and rising distribution expenses have increased interest in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and electric mobility.

The company, a federal government-recognised vehicle assembler and distributor of China’s Sinotruk brand, said the initial rollout would focus on light electric trucks for intra-city distribution, with plans to expand into medium-duty vehicles as market conditions improve.

Speaking on the introduction, the company’s Managing Director, Alfred Okugbeni, said electric trucks could help businesses reduce operating expenses, improve fleet efficiency and moderate transportation costs, which contribute to the prices of food and other essential goods.

He described transportation expenses as a major cost driver for businesses, arguing that adopting lower-cost vehicles could improve competitiveness and ease some of the cost pressures facing manufacturers and distributors.

Okugbeni said businesses with access to electricity at their facilities could charge the trucks overnight and deploy them for deliveries during the day, reducing dependence on public charging stations.

“The need to crack this has become imperative. And one of the major ways to crack this is to bring in low-cost operating vehicles. The electric truck fits very well into that.

“Our targets are the fast-moving consumer goods manufacturing people because they have excess energy through the night. So, they can easily charge up,” Okugbeni said.

He said investments in charging facilities were beginning to emerge, expressing optimism that infrastructure development would support the gradual expansion of electric mobility.