Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Daimler’s Freightliner eCascadias all-electric semi-truck headed to customers

Freightliner Trucks, an American truck manufacturer and a division of Daimler Trucks North America, has announced on Monday that it has built its first two eCascadia all-electric semi-trucks and is finally ready to begin customer deliveries.

The company says heavy-duty Freightliner eCascadia semis are not final production models, they are still part of Freightliner’s Electric Innovation Fleet. They’ll be used to test the integration of a battery-powered truck into large-scale fleet operations.

The eCascadia looks and sounds familiar as it is an electrified version of Freightliner’s normal Cascadia semi. It’s powered by four electric motors and features a 550-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Simply plug the big semi rig into the right connector and the battery will take 90 minutes to charge up to 80%. It has 730 horsepower and up to 250 miles of range.

The truck will enter series production in late 2021. Penske and NFI will be the first companies to employ the revolutionary eCascadia in their commercial operations. The eCascadias will operate in Southern California and will arrive later this month. The company also says that it will continue additional deliveries throughout this year.

On paper, it looks promising. Daimler has beaten Tesla to the electric semi market effectively. Tesla has promised its ‘Tesla Semi’ will enter production soon, but so far, it hasn’t.

The feedbacks from Penske and NFI will help Freightliner to improve the model as mass production nears. It is also planning to bring more companies into its pilot program over the coming years. For more details check out the company website.