Daimler Trucks North America has announced that it has opened its order books for its first two all-electric trucks – the Freightliner eCascadia and Freightliner eM2 which it says will be hitting US roads next year.
The decision to start sales comes just three years after the company revealed the concept e trucks in 2018.
Since then DTNA launched and expanded its pilot fleet of 38 electric trucks which it says have collectively covered close to 1.2 million km in customer hands in North America.
The eCascadia and eM2 prototypes were tested in a variety of applications, including container work, regional and local pickup and delivery, and food and beverage delivery.
DTNA’s senior vice president, on-highway sales and marketing, Richard Howard said that from reveal of proof of concept in 2018, to a demonstration fleet that’s in the hands of real customers, running real freight in the real world, to today where DTNA is ready to formally welcome the nation’s fleets to all-electric freight movement, the entire team at Daimler Trucks North America is incredibly proud of the progress.
“Moreover, we are very excited to take this next important step into the future of carbon-neutral freight transportation with our great customers and dealers,” said Richard Howard.
“Now, as the order books are open, the company will be able to ultimately gauge the interest ahead of the start of production in late 2022,” Howard said.
The original stated target for the DTNA electric trucks was late this year, but for various reasons the company pushed production back to the end of 2022.
DTNA says it promises an integrated approach, that will include an additional service to help the fleet make the switch to EVs which is believed to cover such things as the charging infrastructure.
The electric Freightliner will be equipped with the new Detroit ePowertrain and the Detroit Assurance suite of safety systems and the advanced telematics service of Detroit Connect.
The Detroit ePowertrain offers three battery options including 210 kWh: charging in 1.5 to four hours, 315 kWhcharging in two to six hours and 475 kWh: charging in two to six hours. There will also be a choice of single or dual drive motor systems with the single motoroffering maximum power of 180 hp, 11,500 lb-ft torque or a dual motor with 360 hp, and 23,000 lb-ft of torque.
The Class 8 eCascadia prime mover will have a range of up to 402 km using a 475 kWh battery, while the medium-duty eM2 is expected to exceed 370 km on a single charge, using a 315 kWh battery.
The eCascadia system will boast between 360 and 525 HP with either a single or tandem eAxle and the ability to charge up to 80 per cent to provide an additional 330km in about 90 minutes, with the truck targeted at container movement and local and regional distribution work. It will be built as a Day Cab configuration with a116″ BBC and a GVM 37.2 tonnes.
The rigid Freightliner eM2 Class 6-7 truck will have a system output of between 180 and 300 hp from a single eAxle only. It will have the ability to charge up to 80 per cent in about 60 minutes providing an additional 300km of range. It will also only be a day cab with a 106″ BBC and is targeted at for local distribution operations and last-mile delivery services with a GVM of between 12 and 15 tonnes.
Daimler Trucks Australia boss, Daniel Whitehead told media last week at the launch of the Fuso eCanter that more Daimler electric trucks are in the pipeline for Australia, which will include some of the Freightliner e offerings from America as well as electric trucks from the European Mercedes brand.
