Daimler debuts electric Cascadia

Daimler has debuted a new 730hp battery-powered Freigntliner e-Cascadia alongside a medium duty 480hp eM2 106 for the US market.

 

A fleet of around 30 of the electric trucks wll be handed over to the first customers in the US before the end of 2018, Daimler confirmed this week.

The announcement comes as Daimler Trucks forms its new global E-Mobility Group (EMG), aimed at combining electric vehicle knowledge across all of its brands.

EMG is set to kick off on 1 July with current head of Product Projects Powertrain & eDrive Mercedes-Benz passenger cars, Gesa Reimelt, heading the operation.

“We expect increasing demand for electric trucks and buses, and are also receiving these signals from our customers,” said Daimler Trucks and Buses Divisional Board of Management member Frank Reintjes, who is responsible for Global Powertrain and Manufacturing Engineering.

“Only manufacturers who lead the field in both conventional drive systems and electric drive systems are able to offer convincing solutions, technically and business-wise.

“With regard to conventional powertrains, we have always benefited from our worldwide platform strategy.

“We will also be taking this approach for electric drive systems in the future. To this end, we are establishing the E-Mobility Group in which our experts from all functions around the world will work together on the best e-systems.”

The two electric Freightliner models fall alongside the Fuso eCanter and Mercedes-Benz eActros, adding to Daimler’s electric portfolio.

Based off the existing Cascadia, the eCascadia houses 550kWh worth of juice to provide a healthy range of up to 400km.

Charge times are a contentious factor when discussing electric vehicles, but the eCascadia will charge to roughly 80% within 90 minutes to provide operators with an additional 320km of range.

The Freightliner eM2 106 was developed as a last-mile and local delivery option with a 370km range and 80% charge within 60 minutes, providing the additional 300km that could see an operator through the day.

“With our trucks and buses we want to make our customers more successful,” Reintjes adds.

“This applies to both electric trucks and conventional powertrains. Hence, we designed the Freightliner eCascadia and the eM2 here in the U.S., according to the specific requirements of our customers.”

Send this to a friend