Janus Electric lands repeat order for six US truck conversions

Six additional electric truck conversions. That is the size of the repeat order Janus Electric has secured from California fleet operator King Fio, lifting the Australian company's North American order book to 124 trucks with a combined gross contract value of approximately AU$64.6 million.

The order is conditional. It remains subject to approval of the applicable Californian incentives, a caveat the company states plainly. Janus did not name the incentive programs or give a timeline for approval.

The new trucks join a fleet that already runs container transport operations around the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach. King Fio's total Janus inventory now stands at 12 converted trucks and 14 battery sets, the company said.

How will the trucks be charged?

The additional vehicles will use charging and battery-swapping infrastructure installed for King Fio's original order, including a Janus Charge and Change Station equipped with two 250 kW chargers. Janus says this lets the fleet operator expand without investing in another charging station.

CEO and managing director Ben Hutt said: "King Fio's decision to double its order is another strong endorsement from our existing customers of our technology and demonstrates continued demand for our electric truck conversion and battery-swapping solution."

Hutt added: "Importantly, the additional trucks will use the charging and battery-swapping infrastructure included in King Fio's original order, demonstrating the scalability of our model and how fleet operators can expand fleets without having to duplicate charging facilities."

The claim of scalability rests on one site and one customer so far. It has not been tested across multiple operators or geographies, and the announcement gives no uptime or utilisation data for the existing station.

What does the delivery schedule look like?

Once delivered, Janus expects 16 converted trucks operational across the greater Los Angeles area by the end of the year, comprising:

• six vehicles from King Fio's first purchase;
• four trucks for Ability Tri-Modal;
• six trucks for Tradelink.

That would bring Janus to 46 operational vehicles across the US and Australia. Note the phrasing: the company expects these numbers. Delivery timing depends on conversion throughput, which the announcement does not disclose.

The North American order book of 124 trucks includes orders from other California-based fleets, among them 67 orders placed in July 2026. Janus has not broken down delivery dates for the full book.

Who supplies the batteries?

Each Janus conversion uses approximately 600 kWh of battery capacity, which makes battery supply the program's critical dependency. Janus sources cells from Canadian manufacturer Electrovaya under a supply agreement established in July 2025.

Since then, Janus has placed initial purchase orders worth approximately AU$37.5 million for Electrovaya battery systems to support the 124 North American truck orders and commitments. Deliveries are already underway, according to the company.

On 28 October, Electrovaya also agreed to a strategic equity investment of approximately AU$2 million in Janus through a share placement. The investment remains subject to completion conditions. Janus says the placement aims to provide additional working capital for its North American expansion.

An equity stake deepens the supplier relationship but also ties Janus more closely to one battery maker. The announcement does not address what happens to the 124-truck order book if Electrovaya's deliveries slip.

What to watch next

Three markers will test this announcement. First, whether California approves the incentives the King Fio order depends on. Second, whether Janus converts its stated expectation of 16 trucks operational in Los Angeles by year-end into delivered vehicles. Third, whether the Electrovaya share placement closes on schedule and battery deliveries keep pace with the AU$64.6 million order book.