Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) has officially started deliveries of the Freightliner eCascadia semi-electric truck to Penske after five years of testing, and refinement.
Deliveries made Monday at Penske Truck Leasing in Reading, Pennsylvania. Penske and Daimler have been collaborating since 2018 to develop the fully electric eCascadia and eM2 semi-truck models.
Penske is recognized as one of the early adopters of electric commercial vehicles. The company has invested heavily in testing, maintaining and constructing charging infrastructure to support the electrification of commercial vehicles
“Interest in electric vehicles continues to grow as our customers seek to further reduce emissions,” said Penske Senior Vice President of Procurement and Fleet Planning, Paul Rosa. “We are committed to providing our customers with the latest in vehicle technology to help them achieve their sustainability goals. We anticipate adding more electric vehicles across our fleet for full service rentals, rentals and for use in our logistics business. We applaud DTNA for their collaborative approach in bringing this innovative vehicle to market.”
The first eCascadia electric truck launched in May 2022 after four years of testing and development.
Penske, along with various other leaders in the US fleet, including J.B. Hunt, UPS and NFI, contributed to the development of the Class 8 and Class 6/7 Freightliner all-electric trucks.
DTNA enables companies to test the integration of battery electric vehicles into their fleets, enabling them to share their experiences with customers.
eCascadia has a range of 230 miles depending on vehicle configuration. For charging, this electric truck can recharge 80 percent of its battery in about 90 minutes. The truck has a maximum combined gross weight of 82,000 lbs.
Penske said the collaboration with DTNA has led to many important milestones, including the company’s first to use electric trucks to transport high-performance race cars in the NASCAR and IndyCar racing series.
