Daimler Trucks North America has officially announced that it is accepting orders for its two all-electric freight trucks: The Freightliner eCascadia and eM2. The company claims that these are the longest-range commercial battery-electric vehicles. Production of both trucks will start in 2022. Daimler and Freightliner will also include access to a consulting team to allow customers to plan smooth integration of EVs into their fleet and create an ecosystem around them.
“From the 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’s moment where we are 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 our progress,” said Richard Howard, Senior Vice President of on-highway sales and marketing at Daimler Trucks North America. “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.”
When production starts, the Freightliner eCascadia and eM2 will get a suite of advanced features from Detroit technologies. This includes the ePowertrain, the Detroit Assurance safety system suite, and Detroit Connect telematics. Both trucks will be offered in single- or dual-motor configurations with up to 23,000 lb-ft of torque, which is enough to handle the eCascadia’s GCWR of 82,000 pounds. A medium-duty eM2 can go over 230 miles per charge while a Class 8 eCascadia is capable of 250 miles.
Currently, 38 trucks are in pilot fleets that have covered over 750,000 collective miles and were financially supported by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (Bay Area AQMD). This allows Freightliner and Daimler Trucks North America to get important data plus customer and driver perspectives. Additionally, the demonstrator trucks allow prospective customers to see how electrification integrates into their operations.
