By Justine Longmore,Warwick Long

Copyright abc

Electric vehicles are fast finding their place on Australian roads but it is still rare to see them as larger farm vehicles.

The latest data from the Australian Automobile Association shows 28 per cent of new vehicles sold in Australia are battery, plug-in hybrid or hybrid cars.

That number is estimated to be much lower on farms where diesel remains the top choice for vehicle power, grunt and reliability.

But the arrival of the new Ford F150 Lightning fully electric ute in Australia has turned heads with its longer range and bigger towing capacity.

Electrification of Aussie farms

The slow shift to electric farm equipment started with tools, then electric side by side vehicles.

The first electric ute, by Chinese manufacturer LDV, arrived in Australia in early 2023, but it fell short of meeting the needs of most farmers.

The dual cab, two-wheel drive had a 330-kilometre range and a 1 tonne towing capacity.

The new Ford electric ute has been labelled a “game changer” by a farmer, with 550 kilometres of range on one charge and a towing capacity of 4.5 tonnes.

It also comes with a hefty price tag of $170,000.

What do farmers need?

Research engineer with the Kondinin Group Ben White said farmers needed to have confidence an electric ute would replace what they used now.

“We need to make sure we’ve got sufficient range before we either need to refuel or recharge it and we need to be able to tow or carry an equivalent load.”

Mr White said the new ute with the increased capacity was an “exciting” development and would be “pretty interesting to watch”.

EV investment pays off for some

Marcus James is no stranger to electric vehicles.

The beef and sheep farmer from Tasmania already has an electric side-by-side for moving animals and a personal EV.

“We went to solar for our irrigation … and that’s led us to say, ‘How can we utilise that power we’re not using?'” he said.

Mr James went for a test drive in the new Ford electric ute at the recent Farmers for Climate Action, Farming Forever Summit in Canberra.

“It’s really quiet, it’s a nice atmosphere to be in,” he said.

He said he could see the economic benefits of the investment.

“If you look at the energy use that we do and we can get from our solar set-up, I think it pays for itself over time,” he said.

Victorian farmer Susan Findlay Tickner was also interested in the new electric ute.

“It’s great to see a ute in that form. I’ve only ever driven one electric vehicle before and it’s very responsive,” Ms Findlay Tickner said.

“This ute has got a 550km range, which is a bit of a game changer for us because it does mean we can drive from our home to the city without having to charge it halfway.

“I think there’s going to be few farmers driving them around.”

Uptake of EV utes to take ‘some time’

Mr White said EV technology was changing rapidly and more options would be on the market in the future.

“Battery technology continues to improve and it needs to, they’re pretty heavy things,” he said.

“Having some developments in that area will probably see things propel at a greater speed as well.”

The research engineer said although the Ford ute was “impressive” he was not expecting a big take-up by farmers.

“There’ll be certainly circumstances where it will fit the brief and people might go down that path,” Mr White said.