Hot on the heels of Hino announcing it was embracing SEA Electric powertrains for its trucks, Volvo Group brand Mack, has announced it to will use SEA Electric powertrains in its trucks in the USA.
Mack Trucks announced that SEA has become one of its Tier 1 partners in the USA supplying its proprietary SEA-Drive power-system in Mack’s MD truck range.
Mack said the five-year agreement with SEA Electric will focus on the next generation of Mack’s popular MD range, which will see deliveries of the fully electrified models to Mack dealers across North America.
Specifically, the Class 6 and 7 medium to heavy duty Mack MD6 and MD7 models will be equipped with the SEA-Drive 120 and 180 power-systems.
MD Electric, is Mack’s first electric vehicle in the medium-duty segment of the trucking industry and was revealed for the first time at the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) 2023 Work Truck Show, in Indianapolis.
Mack said the MD Electric will complement its diesel-powered MD models, which it says has experienced growing customer demand since its introduction in 2020.
“The addition of a zero-tailpipe emissions battery-electric vehicle (BEV) to the Mack medium-duty lineup also supports the company’s long-term sustainability goals,” the company said in its announcement.
“Mack established itself as an electrification leader with the heavy-duty Mack LR Electric refuse vehicle, and we’re excited to add the MD Electric to our zero-tailpipe emissions lineup,” said Martin Weissburg, global president of Mack Trucks.
“This is another important step in our efforts to drive decarbonization and a more sustainable future, and we plan to continue investing in technologies that help improve the environment and society,” Weissburg said.
The MD Electric is the second electric vehicle introduced by Mack Trucks in the USA, the first was the Mack LR Electric using a Volvo Group drivetrain, which went into production in December 2021.
The Mack MD Electric will be available in Class 6 and Class 7 ratings with the Class 6 model boasting a GVM of 11.77 tonne (25,995 pounds), and the Class 7 model with a GVM 15 tonnes (33,000 pounds).
Both models electric models are exempt from the 12 per cent US Federal Excise Tax (FET) and will be produced at Mack’s Roanoke Valley Operations in Virginia, where Mack began production of the Mack MD Series in 2020.
“The Mack MD Electric joins the full lineup of Class 6 to 8 vehicles Mack offers to help customers meet their application needs,” said Jonathan Randall, president of Mack Trucks North America.
“Building on the success of the diesel-powered Mack MD Series, the Mack MD Electric will help our customers meet their sustainability goals without sacrificing the durability, reliability and total cost of ownership for which Mack is known,” said Randall.
SEA Electric CEO and founder, Tony Fairweather said that it was a proud day for SEA Electric, and was the culmination of over a decade of research and development around the world.
“In testing, the SEA-Drive® equipped Mack MD6 successfully completed a grueling durability assessment, equivalent to more than 500,000 miles on one of the toughest and most challenging tracks,” said Tony Fairweather.
“We are proud to partner with a brand as iconic as Mack Trucks to help them achieve market leadership in the Class 6 and 7 zero-emissions segment.
“In the future, this agreement has the potential to see significant scale, which is very exciting for the industry as it transitions to a sustainable future,” he added
Mack Trucks said the partnership with SEA Electric signals an important step forward.
“We are pleased to partner with SEA Electric on this exciting product, which represents another important step in our efforts to drive decarbonisation and a more sustainable future,” said Martin Weisberg.
