Daimler North America dives into electric truck market

The subsidiary of German auto manufacturer Daimler AG hopes to put two fully electric-powered commercial trucks into production in 2021.    Daimler Trucks North America is diving head first into the electric truck game.
   The Portland, Ore.-based subsidiary of German auto manufacturer Daimler AG recently unveiled two fully electric-powered commercial trucks it hopes will help the company to protect its already impressive share of the market.
   Daimler’s Freightliner Trucks brand will produce a heavy-duty semitruck, dubbed the Freightliner eCascadia, as well as a smaller, medium-duty Freightliner eM2 106. Thirty of these vehicles will be delivered to customers later this year for further testing, with the goal of starting full production on both in 2021.
   Designed primarily for drayage and regional distribution, the Class 8 eCascadia will be equipped with battery-powered engines that provide up to 730 peak horsepower and a nominal range of 250 miles. The batteries will require roughly 90 minutes of charging time to reach 80 percent capacity — i.e. a 200-mile range.
   The eM2, on the other hand, was designed primarily with local distribution, pickup and delivery, food and beverage delivery, and last-mile logistics applications in mind. It will sport up to 480 peak horsepower with a range of 230 miles and the ability to charge up to 80 percent in about 60 minutes.
   But Daimler is by no means the first automaker to announce plans for a fully electrified commercial truck. The company joins an increasingly crowded group that includes notables like Tesla as well as lesser-known startups like Workhorse Group.
   Tesla in November 2017 unveiled prototypes for two different Class 8 semis — a 300-mile range model that will be priced at $150,000 and a $180,000, 500-mile range model — reportedly garnering preorders from everyone from parcel integrators UPS and DHL and trucking companies like J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Ryder System and XPO Logistics to retail giant Walmart and Canadian grocery store chain Loblaw.
   In addition to the Tesla order, UPS in February placed an order with transport technology and equipment maker Workhorse Group Inc. for 50 Class 5 plug-in electric delivery trucks the company said it is collaborating on with Workhorse to design “from the ground up.”
   According to Roger Nielsen, president and chief executive officer of Daimler Trucks North America, the new electric trucks “reflect DTNA’s commitment to bring practical, game-changing technology to market.”
   The trucks will join the company’s existing line of electric-powered vehicles, which includes more than 100 electric vehicles built in 2012 by Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. with supplier Electric Vehicles International (EVI), a Class 4 light-duty truck already in series production, a heavy-duty distribution truck that will be delivered to its first users in the second half of 2018, a Mercedes-Benz passenger bus going into production later this year and an electric school bus starting limited production in 2019.
   “The Freightliner eCascadia and eM2 are designed to meet customer needs for electrified commercial vehicles serving dedicated, predictable routes where the vast majority of daily runs fall between 45 and 150 miles,” said Nielsen. “The eCascadia, utilizing North America’s bestselling Class 8 platform, and eM2 106, based on one of the most in-demand medium-duty truck designs, are built on validated, series production trucks in extensive use by our customers every day.”
   When it comes to developing reliable, efficient electric vehicles, Nielsen said heavy-duty trucks “present the greatest engineering challenges, but they are also the best learning laboratories.”
   Richard Howard, senior vice president, sales and marketing for Freightliner Trucks, said the goal of the new semis is to “reduce emissions and enhance our customers’ bottom lines through improved uptime and lower operating costs.”
   The company also noted the extensive battery charging infrastructure necessary to support fleets of commercial electric vehicles. Parent Daimler AG is a founding member of the Charging Interface Initiative (CharIN), which aims to develop a standard charging system for battery-powered vehicles, and DTNA is heading a CharIN group tasked with “collaborating with utilities and service providers to foster a supportive environment for high-voltage charging networks.”
   Martin Daum, member of Daimler Board of Management for trucks and buses, said Daimler sees the move into electric vehicles as a crucial step to retaining its position as the “undisputed global leader of the trucking industry.”
   “We were first-movers on electric trucks and we strive to provide the leading electric truck in each relevant segment,” he said. “With the foundation of the global ‘electric mobility group,’ we maximize the impact of our investments in this key strategic technology field. Thus, we can go for the best solutions in batteries, charging solutions and energy management.”