Daimler delivers Freightliner eCascadia

Daimler Trucks has delivered the first two Class 8 battery electric Freightliner eCascadias for customers at its research and development centre in Portland.

The trucks are part of Freightliner’s Electric Innovation Fleet and built to test the integration of battery electric trucks in to large-scale fleet operations.

Daimler Trucks North America president and chief executive Roger Nielsen says it’s an important milestone for the company.

“Our team is incredibly proud to be leading the way for the industry, but prouder still to be working with our customers in a process of co-creation to make real electric trucks for real work in the real world,” he says.

The initial customer shipments are the first heavy-duty additions to the 30-vehicle Freightliner Innovation Fleet. Real-world use and feedback from members of the Freightliner Electric Vehicle Council will inform the final production versions of both the eCascadia and the medium-duty Freightliner eM2.

The Electric Vehicle Council brings together 38 Freightliner customers to identify and address all potential hurdles to large-scale deployment of commercial battery electric vehicles.

Issues at the forefront of the discussion include charging infrastructure, partnerships with other parties in the e-mobility value chain, vehicle specifications and vehicle use case.

Penske Truck Leasing of Reading, Pennsylvania and NFI of Camden, New Jersey are both members of the Freightliner Electric Vehicle Council and will be the first companies to employ the eCascadia in their commercial operations.

The eCascadias are destined for the Southern California operations and additional deliveries of the electric Freightliner fleet will continue throughout 2019.

The Freightliner Innovation Fleet is supported by a government partnership with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) which provided a US$16 million grant for the programme.

The first of the medium-duty electric Freightliner eM2s began service earlier this year with Penske Truck Leasing and are operated within the South Coast AQMD.

“This is an exciting time for the future of zero-emissions trucks, said Wayne Nastri, South Coast AQMD executive officer. Wayne Nastri says.

“As we work towards meeting air quality standards, it is imperative that truck manufacturers accelerate the commercialization of these technologies that will help clean our air and protect public health.”