Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1004801
28 commercial carrier journal | july 2018 Freightliner debuts two new electric trucks F reightliner Trucks tossed its hat into the electric heavy truck ring last month, debuting two fully electric commercial trucks during the Daimler Trucks Capital Market and Technology Day in Portland, Ore. e Freightliner eCascadia features up to 730 peak horsepower. Its batter- ies provide 550 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of usable capacity, which translates to a range of up to 250 miles with the ability to charge up to 80 percent – pro- viding a range of 200 miles – in about 90 minutes, perhaps during a driver's lunch break. e Class 8 80,000-lb. GCWR tractor is designed for local and regional distribution and drayage. e smaller eM2 features up to 480 peak horsepower. Its batteries provide 325 kWh of usable capacity, giving it a range of up to 230 miles with the abil- ity to charge up to 80 percent in about 60 minutes, delivering a range of 184 miles. e 26,000-lb. GCWR truck tar- gets local distribution, pickup-and-de- livery, food and beverage delivery and final-mile logistics applications. Roger Nielsen, president of Daimler Trucks North America, said both the eCascadia and eM2 are designed for dedicated predictable routes where most daily runs fall between 45 and 150 miles. e electric trucks are part of Daimler's global electrified truck initiative, joining the Mercedes-Benz eActros and eFuso Vision One. "Heavy-duty electric vehicles present the greatest engineering challenges, but they also are the best learning laborato- ries," Nielsen said. e eActros, with a range of up to 124 miles and a 55,000-lb. GCWR, now is entering testing for distribution applications with customers in Europe. e light-duty Fuso eCanter now is available in series model production as a fully electric truck. Nielsen credited the Saf-T-Liner Jouley C2, omas Built's electric school bus that debuted in Novem- ber, as a form of on-the-job training for Daimler's development of future electric efforts. "We're learning how to troubleshoot electric vehicles," Nielsen said of the Jouley bus that features a range of 120 miles and is slated for production next year. "We're learning about parasitic losses." Nielsen acknowledged that e-mobili- ty remains fraught with challenges that include a weak charging infrastructure and service network. at's why DTNA parent Daimler AG is a founding mem- ber of the Charging Interface Initia- tive, an effort to develop a standard charging system for battery-powered vehicles. DTNA also is heading a CharIN taskforce to develop a new electric commercial vehicle charging standard globally, collaborating with utilities and service providers to foster a supportive environment for high-voltage charging networks and serving as a trusted con- sultant for customers. "We are all-in for tackling the electri- fication challenge for North America," Nielsen said. "Our path to e-mobility is designed to set the tone for the next generation of environmentally friendly propulsion systems now and for our future." e eCascadia and eM2 both are slated for production in 2021. In the interim, Freightliner plans to deliver an Electric Innovation Fleet of 30 vehicles to select customers later this year for testing under real-world conditions. Martin Daum, member of the Daim- ler Board of Management for Trucks and Buses, said the company will take a consultative approach with custom- ers as they seek ways to implement electrification into their fleets, even if that means determining that an electric truck isn't a fit for a given application. "Customers aren't interested in an e-truck exclusively," Daum said. "ey're interested in the best possible solution." He said the company seeks to offer an "end-to-end solution" that will include a charging infrastructure and support aer the sale. E-Mobility Group Daimler also announced the formation of a new organization for e-mobility: the E-Mobility Group. Daum said the unit will define the company's strategy for everything from electrical compo- nents to all-electric vehicles for all its brands and all business divisions while also working to create a single global electric architecture. EMG is struc- tured globally, he said, with employees working cross-functionally in vari- ous locations throughout the United Freightliner's eCascadia, a Class 8 80,000- lb. GCWR tractor, is designed for local and regional distribution and drayage. The eM2, a 26,000-lb. GCWR truck, targets local distribution, P&D, food and beverage delivery and final-mile logistics applications.