The Innovation Fleet is a 30-vehicle fleet of battery electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks testing integration of the technology into large-scale commercial transportation operations.
“Co-creation with our customers is a cornerstone of Freightliner’s unique approach to the market. The knowledge and expertise our logistics customers have in fleet operations with their thousands of trucks is invaluable as we design and engineer the zero emissions future of the commercial vehicle,” says Richard Howard, DTNA senior vice president, on-highway sales and marketing.
“Crossing the threshold of 300,000 miles of testing, then one million miles, then more — together — before we begin series production of battery electric trucks will ensure we deliver the performance and reliability our customers count on and which has made Freightliner the undisputed leader in commercial trucks,” Howard says.
The planned start of series production for the Freightliner eCascadia is mid-2022, and the planned start of series production for the Freightliner eM2 is late 2022, the company says.
The Freightliner Innovation Fleet is supported by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) which focuses on improving air quality in the South Coast Basin of Southern California and partially funded the project. The fleet includes 10 eM2s and 20 eCascadias testing in a variety of applications, including drayage, regional and local delivery, food distribution and parcel delivery.
In an industry whose product development cycles typically extend seven years, Freightliner has an ambitious timeline for bringing commercial battery electric products to market which includes:
June 2018
- Freightliner unveils concept eCascadia and eM2.
- Daimler Trucks establishes global E-Mobility Group to consolidate electric vehicle research and development.
- Freightliner announces the Innovation Fleet comprised of 10 eM2s and 20 eCascadias and names Penske Truck Leasing (Penske) and NFI as partners for deployment.
October 2018
- Freightliner convenes first meeting of the Electric Vehicle Council to collaborate with customers interested in fleet electrification.
December 2018
- The first eM2 is delivered to Penske.
April 2019
- DTNA announces electric vehicle manufacturing will include assembly at Portland Truck Manufacturing Plant in Portland, Oregon.
August 2019
- The first eCascadias are delivered to Penske and NFI.
March 2020
- Freightliner announces the Customer Experience Fleet and plans to add six eCascadias and two eM2s to a pre-series testing fleet for rotational use by 14 customers.
July 2020
Freightliner Innovation Fleet logs 300,000 miles of real-world use.
