Converting an 850-Vehicle Three-Wheeler Cargo Fleet to LiFePO4

The operator's three-wheeler cargo fleet ran on petrol engines with a per-kilometre fuel cost that had risen sharply over two years and could not be forecast reliably. Vehicles were depot-based, but drivers refuelled at roadside stations, adding a daily detour of 25 to 40 minutes per shift and making route planning unpredictable. Each vehicle averaged 70 km per day in dense traffic with frequent stop-start cycling, and payloads of 300 to 500 kg placed sustained load on the drivetrain. The operator had tested a small number of electric conversions using lead-acid traction banks and found them unusable: the banks added excessive weight, degraded within a year, and could not deliver the torque required on Jakarta's flyover ramps when partially charged. Drivers also had no reliable range indication, leading to conservative routing and underused capacity. The company needed a traction pack that could carry commercial payloads through a full shift, charge overnight at the depot without specialised labour, and be serviced locally.

Following the three-month pilot, the operator converted the full 850-vehicle fleet within 14 months. Energy cost per delivery kilometre fell 38% against the petrol baseline at prevailing fuel prices, and the refuelling detour was eliminated, recovering an estimated 32 minutes of productive time per shift. Daily range on a single overnight charge averaged 78 km against a 70 km route requirement, with pack state of charge above 20% at end of shift on 94% of logged days. Payload capability was unchanged at 500 kg, and the derating curve removed the ramp-stall incidents seen in the earlier lead-acid trial. Preventive maintenance intervals were extended, and driver acceptance, initially the main internal risk, was not a constraint after the first month.