Mack Trucks announced its first Mack MD Electric deliveries Wednesday at the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis. Mack announced deliveries to ABF Freight, DC Logistics, Mission Linen and Pronto Freight Ways to begin operations and testing at the event, stating production of its second battery-electric vehicle is now fully underway.
Mack says the MD Electric complements its diesel-powered MD Series sibling, but with zero tailpipe emissions to support the company’s and customers’ long-term sustainability goals. The company announced the truck at the Work Truck Show last year. And on Wednesday, the company said orders are being taken and the Mack MD Electric is in full production at Roanoke Valley Operations (RVO), in Roanoke Valley, Va.
“We’re thrilled that the Mack MD Electric is in full production and that customers are beginning to take delivery of the trucks,” says Jonathan Randall, president of Mack Trucks North America. “We built on the success of the diesel-powered Mack MD Series to bring an electric vehicle to the medium-duty market to help customers meet their sustainability goals with the same Mack promise of durability and reliability.”
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The MD Electric joins the LR Electric in Mack's electric truck portfolio. The LR Electric went into production in December 2021.
The Mack MD Electric is available like its diesel counterpart in Class 6 and Class 7 ratings. The Class 6 model has a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 25,995 lb., and the Class 7 model has a GVWR of 33,000 lb. Both models are exempt from the 12 percent Federal Excise Tax (FET).
The MD Series cab design features a short bumper-to-back-of-cab (BBC) measurement of 103 in., an industry best. Also similar to the diesel-powered Mack MD Series, Mack states it has matched the bold look and styling of the Mack Anthem, Mack’s highway model, as a basis for the MD Electric grille and hood design. The Mack MD Electric will be supported by Mack dealers, many of which are already Mack Certified Electric Vehicle (EV) dealers.
The MD Electric also is available with Mack’s new ElectriFi subscription, an all-inclusive personalized usage-based business model that enables truck buyers to reduce their upfront capital expenditure and pay for their tractor based on miles driven, says George Fotopoulos, vice president of e-Mobility.
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Fotopoulos says the ElectriFI subscription is unique because it enables truck buyers to bring the price of the MD Electric in range of its internal combustion engine counterparts. He says customers who average 30,000 miles driven annually, for example, will actually see a cost savings over the life of the vehicle compared to diesel counterparts.
George Fotopoulos, vice president of e-Mobility at Mack Trucks, speaks about the company's ElectriFi subscription package for the Mack MD Electric Wednesday at the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis.
The subscription is available in 3- to 6-year terms, and fleets can extend their subscription at the conclusion of their initial purchase if they so choose, Fotopoulos says. The package includes a full complement of services, including the truck and body, ultra service contract, incentives, physical damage insurance, AC charging and more. DC charging infrastructure also is available as an add-on option.
Scott Barraclough, senior product manager of e-Mobility, says AC charging can charge the vehicle in 7-11 hours, ideal for customers using its vehicle in daily routes with overnight charging.
Finally, Mack says the MD Electric will meet the needs of trucking applications requiring dry van/refrigerated, stake/flatbed and dump vocations. The MD6 model does not require a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) to operate for non-hazardous payloads, the company adds.
