Janus Electric has just landed its first proper deal in the US. A company in Southern California called Ability Trimodal has put down a deposit for two big trucks to be converted with Janus’ battery swap system, plus they’re setting up a swap station with solar power at their depot near the ports of LA and Long Beach.

The deal’s worth about $1.25 million, so not massive dollars yet, but the big thing is it’s Janus’ first crack at the US market. The pilot will show if the system really works for port freight runs, which are perfect for battery swapping because the trucks just go back and forth all day. If it goes well, it could open the door to a whole bunch more conversions and stations.

So is it significant? For Janus, yeah, it’s huge as a beachhead into the States. For the market today, maybe not game-changing straight away because it’s only two trucks. But if they prove it works, it could snowball into something pretty big.