With the delivery of the first all-electric Freightliner eM2 to Penske Truck Leasing, Daimler Trucks has now also launched practical tests for heavy and medium-heavy electric trucks in the USA. In future, Penske Truck Leasing will use the electric truck in local distribution traffic in the northwest of the USA and in California.

Penske Truck Leasing manages around 270,000 vehicles at more than 1,000 locations in North and South America, Europe, Australia and Asia. The transfer to Penske Truck Leasing is the first step towards electrifying urban distribution traffic in the USA.

As announced, Penske Truck Leasing will receive a total of 20 all-electric Freightliner trucks in 2019, ten medium-heavy eM2 and ten eCascadia models for heavy distribution traffic. In total, the innovation fleet will comprise 30 vehicles. Series production is scheduled to begin in 2021. Daimler partner NFI will use another ten eCascadias for transports between the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to warehouses in California.

The two electric trucks destined for the U.S. market were first presented at the beginning of June last year at the Capital Market & Technology Days in Portland. As far as the details about the two electric trucks are concerned, the following is known: The Freightliner eCascadia is an electric offshoot of the Cascadia long-haul truck with a range of up to 400 km and an output of around 537 kW. The 550 kWh battery used in the truck should be rechargeable to around 80 percent within 1.5 hours. The vehicle is designed for a permissible total weight of over 15 tons. The Freightliner eM2, on the other hand, competes in the medium-to-heavy weight segment with a permissible total weight of nine to twelve tons. With a battery capacity of 325 kWh, the eM2 can travel up to 370 km and delivers a good 353 kW. The charging process (80 percent) should not take longer than one hour.

greencarcongress.com, daimler.com