The Freightliner eCascadia features up to 730 peak horsepower. Its batteries provide 550 kilowatt hours (kWh) of usable capacity, which translates to a range of up to 250 miles with the ability to charge up to 80 percent – providing a range of 200 miles – in about 90 minutes. The Class 8 tractor is designed for local and regional distribution and drayage.
The smaller eM2 features up to 480 peak horsepower. The batteries provide 325 kWh of usable capacity, giving it a range of up to 230 miles. A 60-minute charge will get the batteries up to about an 80 percent charge and deliver a range of 184 miles. The eM2 targets local distribution, pickup and delivery, food and beverage delivery and final-mile logistics applications.
“It’s easy to find use cases for the eM2 today,” Daimler Trucks North America President Roger Nielsen says. “We expect high customer demand for this truck when we make it available for series production sometime in the next two to three years.”
Nielsen says both the eCascadia and eM2 are designed for dedicated, predictable routes where most daily runs fall between 45 and 150 miles.
“Payload can be a compromise to guys hauling steel coils over the Rocky Mountains,” he says.
