Electric Freightliner Cascadia and M2 106 Truck
Daimler Trucks North America have announced their intention to launch two all electric heavy trucks into the North American market, which according to Daimler wconfirms they have always been comfortable out front, in innovative new trucking technology, and this is going to be further as exemplified by two new electric Freightliner trucks: the eCascadia and eM2 106.
New Freightliner eCascadia and Freightliner eM2 106 Electric Trucks
As part of the widest range of commercial electric vehicles offered by any North American OEM, the all-new, all-electric Freightliner eCascadia and eM2 106 trucks are designed for specific applications and created with input from customers who rely on both diesel models.
- The class-8 Freightliner eCascadia is a heavy-duty, on-highway truck with an up to 250-mile range, designed for local and regional distribution and drayage.
- The eM2 106 is a medium-duty workhorse, with an up to 230-mile range, built for local distribution, pickup and delivery, or food and beverage delivery.
According to DTNA CEO Roger Nielsen,
“These innovative trucks reflect DTNA’s commitment to bring practical, game-changing technology to market. The eCascadia, North America’s bestselling class-8 platform, and eM2 106 are built on validated, series-production platforms in extensive use by commercial vehicle customers every day. This gives us confidence that we will offer our customers the emission-free solutions they want for their fleets to meet real business needs. Our highest aim at Daimler Trucks is ensuring that we bring to market vehicles that are safe, reliable, and efficient.”
A Global Commitment to Commercial EV Fleets
At Daimler Trucks North America, we continue to pursue proprietary, integrated electrification solutions with an increasingly diverse lineup of commercial electric vehicles. Our next step is to learn more from our Freightliner Electric Innovation Fleet. These trucks 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.
These 30 vehicles will begin real-world testing in customer hands later this year. We are also committed to helping our customers overcome emerging EV challenges through the development of a charging-system standard for battery-powered commercial vehicles. DTNA is leading the CharIN taskforce with the objective of defining a new commercial vehicle, high-speed charging standard (>1MW) to maximize customer flexibility. In collaboration and consultation with utilities, service providers, charging system manufacturers and our fleet, we help create a win-win solution for new commercial EV infrastructure.
Current and Forthcoming EV Production
In addition to the exciting new Freightliner eCascadia and eM2 trucks, Daimler is leading the pack from North America with the Thomas Built Buses electric school bus. The C2 Saf-T-Liner or “Jouley” school bus from Thomas Built Buses was introduced last year in anticipation of limited production beginning in 2019.